That episode was great! The ending left me with my jaw dropped. I can't wait to find out more but we have to wait until March 17th.. Ughhhhh!

11:31 pm March 3, 2014

Jason E (article author) wrote:

I thought we would learn a lot more about Lucy Brooks this episode. Turned out we learned a lot more about TOM! I never expected that to happen!

My wife had a wonderful comment, "It sure is a good thing they aren't getting a baby."

I still suspect Tom will be redeemed and will help Liz at some point down the line. He may go "badguy" for a little while, but in the end he will love Liz. I just feel it!

-Jason Evans @TVFilmTalk

11:33 pm March 3, 2014

LDJ wrote:

How many factions are there? If Red is on one side, Jolene/Lucy on another, and the folks who were spying from across the street on another, well, my head is spinning! (Folks across the street at one point wondered out loud who Tom worked for...)

12:00 am March 4, 2014

JMD wrote:

I love the Blacklist, but also the music. Who is the artist that sang "Jolene" at the end of The Judge episode.

12:01 am March 4, 2014

JMD wrote:

What was the name of artist that sang Jolene at the end of The Judge episode?

12:14 am March 4, 2014

CEK wrote:

Why is it on in two weeks?

12:17 am March 4, 2014

CEK wrote:

I think Dolly Parton sang Jolene

12:19 am March 4, 2014

Tami J wrote:

Totally bummed we have to wait 2 weeks for the next episode but it looks like it will be worth the wait. I loved the Tom/Jolene conversation. And the previews look like he really gets violent with people. A special word to the author of this blog...THANK YOU! I was so thrilled to see your article already posted I think it was smart for Liz to not turn in Cooper, shows work camaraderie and gives her a bit of dirt for later maybe...

12:24 am March 4, 2014

Tami J wrote:

To CEK, it's because of the premiere of another show...Believe. I'm not impressed and don't plan to watch personally.

12:31 am March 4, 2014

Edgar E. wrote:

Dolly Parton wrote and originally recorded Jolene, but what was on the show tonight was a cover.

12:35 am March 4, 2014

Edgar E. wrote:

Follow up . . . this IS Dolly's original 45 recording, played at 33 RPM and titled as "Slow Ass Jolene". Pretty darn neat if you ask me!

2:12 am March 4, 2014

Eastlaker1 wrote:

Not surprised about Tom's disclosure because Red had warned us, and Liz, before... The show reminds me of Lost, with the intricate plot and an unknown force hidden!!!!!

Love your blog, it's my must read! Thank you.

2:15 am March 4, 2014

eileen wrote:

i think that tom is with liz, to get to red, he or whoever he is working for knows that red is her father

2:44 am March 4, 2014

Tes wrote:

No, I don't think Tom has fallen for Lizzie. I think he is mad as hell at her. She locked up his longtime girlfriend, his Boston murder accomplice. It is all slipping away from him, he has lost control and Lizzie is going cold on him. Some still think that Red may be Lizzie's dad. If that is true, I am a little disappointed in the writers because there have been at least two times where Red has blatantly flirted with Lizzie and if he is her dad...well gross! Writers always need to keep their scripts tight and rein in any actors who might take the scenes in a direction that is not optimal to truth as they know it. After all I am assuming the actors themselves don't know the whole plot..at least that is what they say in the xtras.

4:52 am March 4, 2014

Fluffy wrote:

I have a question regarding the preview they showed here on the West Coast for the next episode on the 17th. They show Tom beating up a woman, but they are careful not to show her face. At first I thought it might be Lizzie, but I think it is too soon for that kind of finale. I wonder if it could be Jolene? What does everyone think??

5:08 am March 4, 2014

Fluffy WORRIED! wrote:

[Allow me a slight digression...]

Anna, Charmed: Have you heard if Logan is OK?

6:31 am March 4, 2014

duqjag wrote:

I think I saw Tom beating up the Cowboy... food episode but cant believe the show is being preempted fornthe voice.. really?

6:37 am March 4, 2014

girlwithoutaname wrote:

It is obvious that Tom Bond was never in love with Liz. She is a tool, an assignment, and I don't think that he will ever fall in love with her. Let alone that no sane woman would/should ever want to stay in a relationship with a person who lied to her, betrayed her, who broke their vows in the most essential ways. So, I would find it a little disturbing if those two would end up together...

@Fluffy The woman Tom beats in the promo is Jolene. If you stop at the right moment you can catch a glimpse at her face

7:41 am March 4, 2014

Chris wrote:

One thing that bothered me was that in the previews for this week's episode, they show Liz confronting Tom - but that didn't happen. Maybe next time...

Suspect Lucy/Jolene is after Red and she picked Tom because he's a path to Red through Liz. Don't believe they're on the same side, though you never know. And if what @girlwithoutaname says is correct/he's beating Lucy/Jolene, it's probably because he "ruined" things for him. Wonder if this is the real end for Lucy/Jolene.

And even though Tom will be outed, will be interesting to see whether Liz finds out. Just be "we" know he's a bad guy doesn't mean she will.

7:55 am March 4, 2014

BruceW wrote:

After the hiccup of last week's show, it's back to the good stuff! Great episode as we learn more about Tom and Jolene/Lucy (or "Juicy" as as I call her) So, Tom and Lizzie first hooked about two years ago. That's about the time she would have begun her her FBI training. That's when Tom was "planted" in Lizzie's life and she became his target. We still don't know "Juicy's" full history, but we learned last night that she has been tracking Red for some time, as well. The guy behind all of this is Fitch. He has been using "Juicy" to track Red's whereabouts and using Tom to keep Lizzie under surveillance (and yet a second method to keep track of Red because of their close connection). Fitch and Red go way back, and if there was some dirty stuff on Agent Cooper, you can bet there's megatons more on Fitch.
Fitch will turn out to be the sleaziest of the sleazy on this show, for I believe he has had a hand in all of the torment in Red's life, including the loss of his family. I can see where 75% of The Blacklisters would have been of some use to Fitch's organization in some capacity and by their elimination, Red is "getting into his bowl of chili", and thereby compromising Fitch's ability to do "whatever he does".
And yes, I will always believe that Lizzie is Red's daughter until proven otherwise. (I can't remember the flirtations that Tess refers to, if I knew what episodes, I'd go back and watch). I do know that he is extremely protective of her, (much like a father is), and he will allow all manner of harm to come to everyone else around him in order to protect her. He wasn't their for her when she needed him the most, and he will never make that mistake again.

9:05 am March 4, 2014

Marcell. wrote:

Why the conversation about the hat size with the old guy in the cadilac? Also what is the deal with Red's poorly fitting coats?

9:11 am March 4, 2014

Dave wrote:

Sooo, any chance that Tom and Liz can save their marriage now? lol

Now that we know Tom is a spy living a double life, it will be interesting to see who he works for (CIA/the Alan Alda character, a blacklister?). I think it could be the CIA since it was Meera that interviewed him when he came for questioning that time many episodes back, but its just a guess. This does make me go back to the pilot episode, though, when that Serb guy was about to kill Tom. Was he ordered by Red to kill him but didn't finish the job?

I agree with BruceW, I never noticed the episodes where Red ever flirted with Liz and I still firmly believe that Red is Liz's father. I also respectfully disagree with the writer that Tom fell for Liz, I just think Tom was a good actor and went through the motions like he was probably ordered to by whoever he works for.

The idea of a teacher living a double life reminds me a lot of Kindergarten Cop, that 1990's movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, in that movie, Arnold was a good guy and in this show I think Tom is a bad guy.

Overall, exciting episode; I am bummed I have to wait 2 weeks for the next one.

9:15 am March 4, 2014

Rell wrote:

I believe this was a very good episode. I believe things are going to get far worse before they get better. One interesting theory that I have is that Tom Bond is as bad as Red makes him out to be. I believe that when Tom was treated as a suspect and eventually cleared when he was brought to the FBI Blacksite, I think that was all a cover for Tom being able to scout the current Blacksite and get more intel. Red alludes to another assault on the Blacksite, but I believe that the info Tom gathered was relayed through Fowler so that Anslo Garrick attack the site to obtain Red. There are a lot of interesting pieces coming together, can't wait for the new episode in...two weeks, what a shame.

9:35 am March 4, 2014

marcell. wrote:

Tom actually scares me now. The ending last night was terrifying. He could turn out to have actually fallen for her, but he is still her enemy .

10:13 am March 4, 2014

petie wrote:

Expanding on the comment by Rell... I have always suspected that Tom had a hand in the incursion of the Post Office. If he is indeed a well-honed spy, he may have memorized the journey in the car from his home to the site on the day of his being questioned. I know, he had a hood over his head, but sitting in the back seat, noting to himself, "Left, half mile, right, one mile, left and left again" or whatever. A stunt any true 'Bond' would be capable of accomplishing. Red's meeting with Admiral Abraham, his former roommate; I'm assuming the event he states Red made a mess of was on Christmas Eve. Just a bit more fodder for piecing that story together. Also, is it possible that the Afghanistan informant that military intelligence rescued in 2002 was, in fact, Red? One thing I know for sure about this show is that there are no casual conversations.

10:30 am March 4, 2014

DLJL wrote:

OK, I'm just gonna through this out there. Several episodes back, Tom was sitting on a bench and Red sat down and started talking to him. He presented himself as a stranger to Tom. For one brief second Tom got a look of recognition and almost fear on his face. Does anyone else think Red may have had some reconstructive surgery done by our resident plastic surgeon, Andrew Dice Clay?..........just curious

11:08 am March 4, 2014

CAF wrote:

Red looks exactly as he did int he FBI most wanted posters int he Pilot, only he had hair. He did have work done by the plastic surgeon played by Andrew Dice Clay because he admitted that in the General Ludd episode but I don't think he had enough to alter his appearance. If he did it would have been before he went on the run in 1990 and Tom would have been too young to have an intellectual knowledge of Red.

11:10 am March 4, 2014

Jay wrote:

All along I thought Tom was a soft punk for not taking his cake in Orlando. This guy is far from it! Whew. Red did warn Liz to watch her husband. Was Red once a Navy Seal? The admiral seemed to have a Trident on his chest or was I seeing things? I still didn't like how Cooper played Liz to her face when confronted about Afghanistan. His working relationship, he owed her more than that.

11:15 am March 4, 2014

CAF wrote:

Now that we know Tom is some type of covert operative, I think either he did not know who Red was but understood that he was being threatened or he figured out it was Red during the converation. He may not have recognized him at first because he has aged since the FBI most wanted poster was printed.

I am so glad they finally gave us some concrete answers to the Tom and Liz saga because I think a lot of people, myself included, were getting bored with the whole thing. It will be interesting to see how the dynamics of their relationship changes from here on out.

11:16 am March 4, 2014

Jay wrote:

And another thing, What could Cooper do to possibly benefit the Admiral? He said "pull some strings." In what manner? Cooper if it wasn't for Red you would been burnt toast. As stated previously I do not like him. Anyone else see Ressler and Liz getting together?

11:33 am March 4, 2014

Anonymous wrote:

Sad for Liz that her husband is a spy, but good for the story line. I hope that we can see Tom show a dark bad @$$ side. It would be fun to see him use some spy moves and fight. Maybe a match between Tom and Ressler is in order. I would say Red and Tom, but I think Red would just shoot him and be done with it, while a Tom/Ressler fight would be intense.

11:36 am March 4, 2014

PGVR wrote:

WOW!!!! This Show is mind blowing... all I can say is what Jason Evans says on the article:

All I know is that every time I think I have “The Blacklist” figured out, something new happens...

12:23 pm March 4, 2014

Charmed WORRIED wrote:

Fluffy, No contact with Anna and our family. Black site down!

Chris, Before each episode we are treated to scenes that never seem to take place in the show, such as Liz confronting 00Tom about Jolene. One week Liz told Red that he was now #1 on the blacklist, with his little killing spree and other scenes. Producers don't need to mislead us, we can get confused enough on our own.
That's why so many of us watch each episode multiple times.

12:35 pm March 4, 2014

BKB wrote:

I think Tom is definitely bad. And maybe when Red sat next to him at the hospital, Tom of course knew who he was but couldn't let Red know and blow his cover. None of us get to know what Tom is thinking (until last night!!) and only see the faceplate that Liz sees, which I think everyone here agrees is not the real Tom. That said, I thought the man in the chair being attacked by Tom in the previews might have been Denbe (spelling?), Red's #1? I can't imagine any reason that someone forced Tom to get close to Liz except to get to Red...unless it's the same reason that Red wants to be close to Liz?! Which brings up the whole idea of Liz having a really interesting past, maybe partly alluded to during the Madeline Pratt episode? Tom and Liz were already married before Red showed up to take an interest in Liz, unless they knew all along that he would eventually connect with her. I love that I cannot figure this show out! Also, I agree with CAF and am so glad the pretext of Tom and Liz having a relationship is over- ugh, I couldn't take Tom's passive/aggressive behavior or Liz's inability to be honest that her job requirements make having a baby -or even planning an impromptu vacation- an impossibility right now. I would love to see her with Ressler!

12:35 pm March 4, 2014

plot holes wrote:

Who taught the prisoners to say "good night mother?" Why would the attorney who was released say it as well as the prisoner who was being put to death?

Why was Tom so quick to give up the game to Lucy when he held his silence after 1.) being tortured in his home and 2.) being interrogated at the post office? I don't get it.*

*unless he and Lucy had a fling awhile ago and knew each other in the past and thus everything in the past few episodes is not quite "she is coming on to him aggressively" as much as it is "she has information I need to get."

I don't believe Tom loves Liz at all - he probably finds her tedious.

I am questioning our federal goverment's ability to really do background checks, however. First they miss Liz's criminal background and then they miss Tom is undercover? SMH.

But perhaps the gov't should hire Jolene, as she has the ability to track Red when our own people cannot.

On a personal note, I found Reddick's accent to be unintelligible. And boo to Lucy/Jolene for keeping so many incriminating things right in her apartment.

12:42 pm March 4, 2014

Hanna wrote:

Cody Belew sang Jolene on The Voice

12:42 pm March 4, 2014

Hanna wrote:

Cody Belew sang Jolene

12:43 pm March 4, 2014

Hanna wrote:

Interesting. Does this blog not allowing mentioning of another show or a link to a gong?

I've tried to include both and it did not take

12:44 pm March 4, 2014

Redbird Craig wrote:

This was an excellent episode in terms of the clues they advanced toward the story we're all interested in, figuring out who Red is, who Tom Bond is, who Jolene (or "Juicy", as BruceW put it), and who Liz really is and how they fit together. The story of the week was, as usual, violent and not totally believable, but I treat that as the facade upon which the real plot of the show rests upon.

I still don't think Liz is Red's daughter. Their relationship doesn't seem to be a father-daughter one to me, and besides that would be too easy and simple and these writers don't do straightforward. There's always a twist so there's a connection but I can't figure it out yet.

Tom and Liz were together before Red brought her into the fold, so whatever it is that makes her someone to track must be because of the connection between Red and Liz but what could that connection be? I think there's really no way for us to answer that right now because I sense the writers have left out some vital clues that would allow us to draw connections, which is part of the fun of the show.

Also, I'm a big fan but I'm getting tired of being jacked around by NBC with the on-again, off-again scheduling of the show. I get the Olympics so I don't ding them there, but the holiday hiatus followed by the Olympics followed by another week off to try to sell us on some show that's supposed to be like "The Blacklist" but not really be "The Blacklist". Here's an idea- instead of giving us "Blacklist"-like shows, why don't we just get the actual "Blacklist"? That would be nice.

12:55 pm March 4, 2014

Anna wrote:

Charmed... I'm here.

Impressions. There were a few nuggets of enlightenment (clues!) in this episode that may shed some light on Red's past, and what his agenda may be. There was Admiral Richard Abraham, who knew Red from sharing a room with him at the Naval Academy when they were both candidates for Admiral. Unfortunately, Richard has suffered the results of guilt by association (with Red) and was sidelined off the fast track of his career, his wife has left him.. all without any proof of wrongdoing. He reminds Red that many people were affected by his actions when Red dropped out of sight and was suspected of treason against his country. Richard certainly does not seem to be very pleased seeing Red again. I was hoping Red would speak up and defend himself by saying... “But there was a reason for everything I did! I did not betray my country!” It was very touching when Red asks Cooper to help his former roommate get back on track, that Richard Abraham was very instrumental in providing the evidence that helped to convince the “Judge” to let Cooper go and turn herself in.

While I am not fond of the procedural aspects of the episodes, this particular case was interesting because it seemed to bring up the recurring theme of “truth” once again. Red very expertly convinces the “Judge” that there is doubt about what really happened and if the young man who was executed was truly innocent. Red tells her that 'this has always been about justice in your eyes, the day you started this, you knew it would inevitably end. You don't want to diminish your legacy of righteousness because of one man (in this case he means Cooper), so that is why you are going to surrender, and turn yourself in.' What he tells her might very well also apply to Red himself, why he undertook the life of a criminal and turned himself in.

I did not particularly like the new character “the Cowboy.” He seemed abrupt and rude in his conversation with Red (and has no sense of humor!). This is so different from the loyal devotion Dembe, Mr. Kaplan and others have shown Red. Everyone loves Red! But Cowboy seems to have an attitude from the get go. I suppose he is all business, no levity allowed? In the preview for the next episode, we see Tom coming through the door and the Cowboy is tied up in a chair. I am just hazarding a guess here... but if the writers want to make Tom into the dastardly bad man they are teasing about... then perhaps Tom will kill someone to show how evil he is.

1:04 pm March 4, 2014

Anna wrote:

Well I for one am glad that the soap opera element is finally over with so we can get back to the spy counter spy business. Tom being a plant was not really that much of a shock, but finally hearing the words come out of his mouth was chilling. Was Jolene sent to seduce Tom because the surveillance house was dismantled and they needed to keep an eye on Tom as well as Liz? Did Tom know those cameras and bugs were there all along? If Tom believes Jolene was sent to test him... then they must both work for the same faction, Fitch, the people he “works with” and ultimately the Adversary at the helm. But Liz is not the target, because of what the Cowboy has uncovered we now know... Red is the target.

It is satisfying to see Red finally get Cooper's subtle promise of assistance down the road when the “war” starts. This may be the final clue that Cooper is someone that Red can trust. He is going to need the power and assets of the FBI to do battle with whoever sent Jolene after him. If her mission was just to watch Red, then the people she reports to (Fitch, etc.) must now know that Liz is very important to him. I thought it was very appropriate that Cooper tells his friend the federal prosecutor Tom Connelly that he has a secret weapon. We have suspected all along that Red has a secret weapon too... Elizabeth Keen.

I did not particularly like this episode, not solely because Red wasn't in every scene (not as bad as the Alchemist) but also because he was so subdued compared to last week. I suppose Red in Madeline Pratt was Red being our lovable Red after two bottles of your finest wine! Loads of fun. But this episode was the anticipated hangover. I will remember The Judge as the “hangover” episode. Subdued, only a few laughs. It didn't look like Red was having any fun. He is very expert in finding levity in any situation. Even poor Cooper sitting there, fearing for his life, Red says... "Harold, don't look so glum." (The soliloquy in the barn where Red convinces the Judge to turn herself in was very dark, the lighting was horrible.) There must be a happy medium, where Red does not go over the top and play the clown too much, and still be our witty, clever criminal/hero who knows the solutions to every problem, and can deliver the goods with a wink and a smile. We're not quite there yet. But almost.

1:18 pm March 4, 2014

Hank C wrote:

Hi Anna. I figured I would come back here. Good episode. I just saw it for the second time.

So.....the Tom Bond onion begins to peel!

PS......I wonder what happened at the other site?

1:22 pm March 4, 2014

lila wrote:

wow, this episode sure was mind blowing.. I think maybe someone of Red's "family" has send Jolene to target Red, and that's who the people are who had sent Tom, because Red and Liz have some kind of weird relationship?

1:33 pm March 4, 2014

Anna wrote:

Thank you Jason for your excellent recap, and thanks to WSJ for providing an opportunity for viewers of the Blacklist to share their opinions. (Apologies for the long posts, I would much rather write about the Blacklist than to finish doing my taxes!)

1:38 pm March 4, 2014

Anna wrote:

Hi Hank! I've only seen the episode twice as well... but the first one doesn't count. I don't think I recall any one thinking Tom was innocent... so it's no surprise is it?

About the site.... I'm not sure what happened... but it is suspicious that the site went down at exactly 10pm EST just as the Blacklist was beginning.

Lots of good stuff here folks. I am still looking for posts to highlight in the blog next week but I can tell you one that will certainly get mentioned. BruceW's dubbing of Jolene/Lucy as "Juicy" is just too good! Just as we forever have Tom Bond, we will now forever have Juicy as a part of our cast... unless she starts only being called Lucy on the show.

Also, seeing as folks keep on wondering, it is clear that the version of the song Jolene we heard last night on the program was the Dolly Parton version slowed down by 25%. It was haunting, wasn't it?

Last, while many of you are complaining about the show taking a break next week, you have to understand the way TV works. There are 52 weeks in the year but no hour long show can possibly produce more than maybe 22 or so episodes. The cast and crew would just burn out (and the show would run out of time to make quality episodes) if they went for 26 or 30. Obviously, the networks need their highest rated shows to play during sweeps months (Nov and April/May being the most important ones) so they need to time the release of highly-rated shows like The Blacklist to ensure the audience is at peak levels during those months. As a result, they need to take seemingly illogical breaks like the one we have coming up next week. It is just the reality of TV programming.

Personally, I think they are timing the Blacklist breaks very nicely. We have not gotten any really long (4+ week) breaks that can kill a show's momentum. Revolution got stung by a nasty-long break last season and we have seen that happen to other dramatic serials relying on mystery and intrigue to drive the plot forward. I think the producers of the show and the network are doing a quite nice job with The Blacklist. The fact that many of us are complaining about missing a single week of it would seem to prove that point.

Thanks for commenting... keep it coming!

-Jason @TVFilmTalk

2:10 pm March 4, 2014

Anna wrote:

Ha Hank. You, as always, are probably right! I wonder if BC will give in and post something. BC... get down off that high horse of yours and post! I miss you. What did you think about this episode?

BC, You were right about Tom, you were right about Cooper being one of the good guys... you are ALWAYS right about everything. (If that doesn't get him... nothing will.) I think you were right about Tom not going through with it with Jolene... but I can't look that up right now...

2:11 pm March 4, 2014

BC wrote:

I don't want to be here - just hoping Logan is ok etc. Hoping the site went down as she was updating it with a new entry for this episode and hit the 'wrong' button

2:33 pm March 4, 2014

Anna wrote:

I know BC. But I'm so glad you posted. I'm not sure what is going on, but it's been down an awfully long time.

As long as you are here... what did you think about this episode? You always have lots of good ideas.

2:53 pm March 4, 2014

Kelly wrote:

The version of Jolene is "Slow Ass Jolene" by DJ Good Little Buddy. Found it on tunefind.com.

3:14 pm March 4, 2014

NJLP527 wrote:

Question.....when Liz found Tom Bond's numerous passports and the money, wouldn't that be a clue to spy activity? I don't remember how that was explained. Can someone refresh my memory? Thanks.

3:23 pm March 4, 2014

Janice C wrote:

I think that Tom's suspicious items were said to be planted, I.e., he didn't know where they came from. I seem to remember he denied knowing anything about them.

4:04 pm March 4, 2014

Robyn wrote:

It seemed like there were twice as many commercials as usual! Other than that, a great episode. I was blown away by Tom being the big reveal. I kept on waiting for Lizzie to confront Tom on his "affair" as last week's previews showed Lizzie saying something about there being a witness, but I think it was a preview of the scene where she is talking about there being a witness for Cooper beating a confession out of Ruffkind (sp?). I think the producers are splicing the previews to make it seem like something else will happen. They have done if a few times, which always makes the actual scene a surprise. One thing that bothered me about this episode is when they finally take the Judge (note- I love having big named actors in a show, but you always know they are going to play a major role, which is usually the bad guy that everyone is after) into custody they just start opening up the stalls/cells and releasing the prisoners. The prisoners just walked out, which I thought was odd.

Plot holes, perhaps all the mistakes the FBI seems to have made about clearing Tom, blaming Red for trying to set up Tom (with traceable funds and fake passports in the box), believing the false intel that made Cooper bring Red into the Post Office for safe keeping (right before Anslo Garrick attacked), and incorrectly fingering Aram as a mole... were all instigated by Diane Fowler, the mole. After all, the corruption went all the way to the top. Diane was in charge of that task force and could change the outcome of any investigation or intelligence that crossed her desk. All of those “mistakes” may have benefited Fitch and Diane's agenda.

Also, Red may have had something to do with making sure Liz's background checks came back clean as a whistle. He most likely falsified many documents in order for Sam to adopt Liz, as well.

4:16 pm March 4, 2014

Anna wrote:

I also noticed that the scene from the preview was missing, when Liz seems to be accusing Tom, and says I have proof that it happened " or something like that. I have to watch the episode again, but I don't think that it was in the episode.

Also, from the last episode previews, the scene when Red leans toward Liz, smiles and says "I wonder if they will have music. I feel like dancing!" That scene never aired in that episode either. I was looking forward to that.

4:21 pm March 4, 2014

Theory du jour wrote:

YeeHa! It was great to see Fringe alum Lance Reddick again. I’m sure he’ll swagger in and out of episodes in his ten gallon hat during the course of this series. Good t’ go.

Diane Weist was excellent as “Mother.” A champion for the justice of the innocent always has my admiration. I found myself disappointed in her capture, even though she was tripped up by her misjudgment of Cooper. Surprisingly, I was disappointed that Cooper was innocent. I actually wanted him to die. He obviously hasn’t grown on me. Early character development is quite an asset to likeability apparently.

On to Tom. I always knew he was on a mission to keep Liz from accomplishing The Great Unknown, but he’s also been brainwashed to do this. You could see the hypnotic look in his eyes when he told Jolene. I believe Fitch’s “People” are behind the secret experiments on Tom, and Jolene. And now we know that Red is Jolene’s “target.” Also, the picture found in Gina Z’s belongings didn’t show the arm that was around Tom. I think it might be Jolene’s. They are soldiers in an army in the “upcoming war” Red warned Cooper of, and Liz is Red’s weapon of choice against them. The question is - will Tom be able to carry out his "job", or will genuine feelings (and Ressler) get in the way?

4:47 pm March 4, 2014

Anonymous wrote:

To all my rowdy friends, you know who you are. Everyone needs a fail safe in place, Red has shown us that and more. Red can't be everywhere, so "Cowboy" is hunting in Jolene's shadows. I didn't enjoy "Cowboy" the way I thought I might. But everyone can't have Anslo's sense of humor. Right?

Jason E, great recap and explanation of network workings. I will miss Red next week, but I understand why NBC would want to premiere "Believe" after The Voice, in a spot so heavily watched. "Believe" will then appear on Sunday nights along with "Crisis".

4:58 pm March 4, 2014

Charmed wrote:

Sorry, I was Unanimous @ 4:47. I'm not used to these buttons yet either. I tend to hit Clear after a long post.

Anna have you thought about the site?

5:07 pm March 4, 2014

BC wrote:

Anna my thoughts are reserved for when our blog gets back up Overall it was as you stated, I was right about everything ha.

The verbiage at the end between Tom/Jolene and the preview shows they are on the same team as Tom was saying that he's been doing what he was told and playing the husband 'role' for 2 years without any contact from his employers and seemed pretty upset about it. It's nice to finally see him out of the whiner-mode innocent school-teacher role and the previews are confusing as to who he's tying up and beating up in the next episode - it could be Jolene, Djembe or even the Cowboy who I didn't like as he had no sense of humor/personality and could barely understand a word he was saying (someone said they froze the shot and it's Jolene which is interesting). The fact is most of Fitch's people like Tom, Jolene, Apple man etc don't know WHO they're working for OR each other, just that they need to fulfill their role.

I agree with a poster above about Cooper - the way he was buddy-buddy with the other sleazebag corrupt US District Atty and the way he treated Liz in that scene made me 100% feel no remorse for him being killed and I was actually ROOTING for it...until of course they proved he wasn't truly guilty of putting away an innocent man.

I was also shocked at how Jolene's been watching everything Red did all this time - it showed pictures of Newton before he died, which is how Fitch knew the claimed mole had been removed etc. But clearly the war has started as Red said and while Red is Jolene's target, Liz is Tom's target. Let's not forget what the writers have said from Day 1 that this is a 'chosen one' story and Liz has many secrets not to mention the scar etc so it's not ALL about Red - it's about her too. Can't wait to see more unfold now that the gloves are off!

5:10 pm March 4, 2014

Margaret wrote:

In the last season, I noticed that just when Lizzie was about to be shot in the Post Office, a cell phone rang and it was Tom calling. I wondered then if he was somehow involved in that whole invasion, and may have not wanted her executed. He never seemed to be innocent, but may have mixed feelings about his "job" and have fallen for her. I don't think I have ever been so interested in a series. This week's episode was really a good one.

5:45 pm March 4, 2014

Theorydu jour wrote:

My My. Just peeked at the next episode promo. Maybe we won’t see The Cowboy again if Tom kills him. If so, it was great to see ya again Lance. Now, if Tom is beating the flurk out of Jolene, then why did he cry on her shoulder over his troubles with Liz, seemingly not knowing who she is, and visa versa? I still think something jarred his memory. He IS “Subject” Keen after all. I’m going to do myself a favor and not tangle my brain up in scads of theories at this point. I’m just going to trip over all the loose ends sticking out, and give myself a headache.
PS – to all the posters who believe the stage has been set for Ressler to move in to Liz’s life… I say YAY!

5:46 pm March 4, 2014

Anna wrote:

Charmed, do you mean you were Anonymous? Must be that dreaded auto spell again.

Good point about a fail safe and Red can't be everywhere, that's true. I also thought about the fact that Tom saw Red in Nebraska outside the hospital after Sam died. He didn't seem to know who Red was then... but I am sure (now that we know he is an agent of some kind)... that he knows who Red is and what Red looks like. So the Cowboy... or Cowboy (Red never called him by name) can tail Jolene quite easiy.

As to your question about the site... I have thought of little else. I tried emailing her last week right before last week's episode... but I still have not received any reply. I think it's intentional, Charmed, it's not a weebly issue. I do hope I'm proven wrong. So many posters are missing, I hope they decide to find their way back here. There's nothing we can do at this point except wait and see.

And sorry, I do not like the previews they are showing about "Believe" on NBC. Instead ABC's "Resurrection" looks interesting. Almost sounds like a Stephen King novel. Sorry NBC!

5:59 pm March 4, 2014

Meg wrote:

Great blog, love The Blacklist for making me think!

IMHO Tom played a great transition from wimpy teacher to possible hired hit man. He nailed it.

I never mistook Red's attention to Liz as being flirtatious. It could just as easily be the beaming-with-pride look of a very proud dad. I disagree that he feeds her everything she needs to know, I see him being mentor, pushing her to think and put the pieces together, only giving the answer if time is running out and she needs to act.

I love the hat size discussion between Red and the Cowboy. Cowboy obviously wasn't giving Red the respect and deference Red gets with other associates. Red ends with: what are you, a 7 1/4? I[m a 7 1/2. I interpreted that as Red saying "mine is bigger than yours and don't forget it!!"

Love this show and love sharing thoughts about it.

6:18 pm March 4, 2014

Anna wrote:

BC Really enjoyed seeing your post THANK you It was almost like being home. I'll reply a little later...

6:52 pm March 4, 2014

PJ wrote:

I froze the frames on the preview and it is Cowboy who is tied to the chair. His black hat is lying on the floor. It makes sense that Tom would be beating Juicy since Cowboy was following her and that is who it looks like. Her hair has an auburn tint and she is wearing a coat fitted at the waist. Lizzie always wears straight coats.

7:29 pm March 4, 2014

KT wrote:

I was not surprised that Tom wasn't just the loving husband. Remember the buried money, ID's and gun? Why was their house being monitored and by whom? I thought he and Jolene were co-conspirators but don't know who they are working for. I thought Cooper was dirty but I guess he's been somewhat vindicated. How about Kessler - every episode he either gets, shot, or beat up - 9 lives. I have more but its late - thanks for this site - I enjoy reading your recaps.

7:32 pm March 4, 2014

Charmed wrote:

Anna, BC, Hank C, Fluffy,
I worry about Redrav and others who haven't tuned in lately. I believe we'll hear comments from A.M., CES2 and probably Fergy. I believe Anna is correct.

Maybe you are right BC. (Note I said “maybe”) that it is not ALL about Red. Red looked a bit surprised that Jolene seems to be targeting him. I thought that Red was looking for HER? (I'm imagining a promotional shot of Red looking through binoculars at Jolene who is looking right back at him with her own binoculars, ha! )

Funny how Red, with all his vast contacts and assets did not know that Jolene was watching from the shadows. I have a feeling it all goes back to Fitch. Remember when Fitch said that he always knew where Red was and he could have killed him at any time in the last 20 years? It must have been Grey, his trusted friend and assistant, that kept an eye on Red for Fitch. And now with Grey gone, Fitch needed someone else close by, Jolene, to watch Red and find out why Liz is so important to Red. I don't think Fitch knows why Liz is so important... that may lead back to a separate faction, to the “Adversary.”

NBC aired a little clip recently that showed a close up of Red saying... “Sometimes the enemy of your enemy is your friend. And other times the enemy of your enemy is just another enemy. The trick is knowing the difference.” Something like that. What in the world is that supposed to mean?

I wonder if that clip is a little snippet of a clue about the “ Adversary” being Red's enemy... as well as an enemy of Fitch? Only the Adversary and Red may know why Liz is so important, but Fitch is in the dark. He may be afraid that Red's interest in Liz may mean Red will spill the beans soon about the big secret. So Liz's importance, the scar, the symbol on the box, the flashbacks of a fire, Red giving Liz to Sam, they may be all related to the Adversary, but separate from Fitch. Red told Fitch that he turned himself into the FBI for a different reason, that had nothing to do with Fitch, or their agreement. I think Red was telling the truth.

8:34 pm March 4, 2014

Orange wrote:

Finally the cat is out of the bag with Tom. It has been anticipated so much that the reveal was no longer as exciting as I thought it would be. But it's game on. Looking forward to how it will play out in future episodes.

Anna - if Jolene is there to keep an eye on Red, which obviously what she has been doing based on the Cowboy's finding, what's the purpose of seducing Tom?

9:14 pm March 4, 2014

JK wrote:

Anna, I enjoy your posts. Good insight.
Looks like Tom will finally get his frustrations out.
PJ-I froze the frames on the preview also. It is Jolene and the "Cowboy" that Tom has captured. Looks like Tom has been a busy boy.
I love this show. I enjoy Red's humor although we didn't get much of it last night.

9:27 pm March 4, 2014

JK wrote:

Maybe Red wanted to know the Cowboy's hat size so he can get him a hat like Oddjob had in Goldfinger and" take care of him" after he gets what he needs. Just saying...LOL

9:44 pm March 4, 2014

Anna wrote:

Thank you JK for the kind words. I love the Blacklist as well (can you tell?) and it is always about the humor, and nobody does it better than James Spader.

9:45 pm March 4, 2014

PJ wrote:

@JK- Yes, Cowboy's hat is on the floor and he is tied to a chair. It appears Tom is beating a woman with auburn hair in a fitted coat- Jolene.

9:48 pm March 4, 2014

Anna wrote:

That's a good question, Orange. Tom thinks that she was sent to test him. Maybe he had a weakness in the past for women (like Gina Zanetakos) which jeopardized his mission. And so the people that planted him in a marriage with Liz are afraid that he will fall into old familiar habits and jeopardize his mission with Liz by cheating on her? I'm just guessing here... because that is exactly what Jolene tried to do, to seduce him. But that may not be the real reason she is there.

How this all relates to keeping an eye on Red is probably why she is there. Originally it seemed that she would have opportunity to learn about Liz through Tom, as he was complaining about his marriage, etc. What better way to hear all about Liz than through her unhappy husband wanting to cry on Jolene's shoulder.

But. Perhaps Jolene is NOT working for the same people that Tom is, but she wants him to think that she is. That may be why she says “wrong answer.” Maybe it is all an attempt to find out what Tom knows about Red, if Liz has told him anything. Perhaps in the next episode Tom finds out that Jolene was NOT sent to test him, that she was sent to gather intelligence or to break up the marriage. That may explain why Tom is fighting with her.

And Charmed... I also agree with you, I wish that the post button wasn't so blasted close to the clear button!

9:50 pm March 4, 2014

BC wrote:

Well for the first time Anna you have me thinking MAYBE Fitch and his group truly are DIFFERENT than who Red calls "the Adversary." Of course if that's true, then I still believe Fitch only had Red infiltrated via Newton for a short time - otherwise Newton could've simply told Fitch that Red was going after his Adversary and it had nothing to do with Fitch and his secret.

I'm most interested in why Tom has both Jolene and the Cowboy tied up - I can understand the Cowboy but I thought for sure Jolene was working for the same people and there to feed him new key info or let him know his mission was over etc. And I figured they'd have some hot sex the second she revealed who she is

This episode didn't show the preview scene where Liz was seeing pics of Tom and Jolene making out so that must be coming up in a new episode as I've noticed sometimes they stick scenes from further out episodes in the previews. Maybe to get Tom out his husband role, they purposely send pics of him and Jolene cheating to Liz, who then divorces him and never thinks he was ever 'bad' etc - I have no idea at this point but can't wait!

Of course now we have to wait 2 more weeks - the constant interruptions in the schedule have to be horrible for ratings as the diehards like us will follow but there's too many twists/clues for the main audience who probably doesn't watch every episode due to the gaps. I think that's one reason it has the highest DVR ratings as well as the fact that most people have to watch each episode multiple times to get all the clues!

10:30 pm March 4, 2014

BC wrote:

And wow great last post Anna about Tom perhaps being swayed in the past on the job by sleeping with other women so Jolene perhaps was 'testing' him. Or like you said, maybe she knows Tom's a spy but she works for someone else and when Tom figures it out, he ties her up along with the Cowboy who's watching all of it unfold.

11:06 pm March 4, 2014

Charmed wrote:

My Blacklist episode was interrupted last night due to an unforeseen circumstance. So I thought I would do some research (quite as a mouse) but found the floor spinning out from under me. I felt lost until I found Jason had put up the WSJ blog. Bless his heart.

BC, Sentence ending in a smiley face...of course you did!

11:10 pm March 4, 2014

Anna wrote:

Thanks BC. How many episodes did Lance Riddick sign on for? I'm afraid it is not looking promising for his future. What is Tom going to do with both of them? They are a threat to his mission, a risk that he may not be able to live with. I have a feeling we might be seeing just how bad Tom really is, in the next episode.

As long as Jolene didn't send pictures to Liz, (did you actually see her looking at pictures of Tom and Jolene? I don't remember seeing that)... then Liz will stay with Tom. She loves him and wants to save her marriage, and will only believe the best about him. It will be very chilling to see Liz live with a man that is capable of killing and with unknown motives... Liz and Tom have only been interesting when there was conflict and doubt. If Tom is capable of killing as well.... that will be great drama, to say the least.

If Tom kills Cowboy... it will be interesting to see what Red will do. It may just be another battle in the war. Red did say it would get worse.

11:18 pm March 4, 2014

too embarassed to ask wrote:

all right how are you making those little smiley face icons?

11:27 pm March 4, 2014

K Nonny wrote:

If Liz doesn’t end up killing Tom by season’s end when she finds out he’s dirty, and since the show runners state she is the Chosen One, I see a rectangle of her, Tom, Ressler and Red. The latter three all want something from her, and they will fight each other to get their aims accomplished. Maybe Liz is really Wonder Woman. I always thought she resembled a young Lynda Carter, which may be why she was chosen for the role.

Hi Jason (article author). Glad you’ve decided to join the poster party. I'll have to bring a few of my friends here to meet you.

11:31 pm March 4, 2014

K Nonny wrote:

I just read through the comments. Is there a click thread happening here? Who are all these people who know each other?

11:32 pm March 4, 2014

Dont be embarassed! wrote:

Typing : and ) next to each other makes a smiley face
Typing : and ( MAY make a frown face (not sure if that works on this site)
Typing < and 3 MAY make a heart <3

11:36 pm March 4, 2014

Fluffy wrote:

So now my question is, who ultimately gets to shoot Tom: Liz, Red or Ressler? I'm betting Liz is about to, hesitates and Ressler takes him out.

It will also be interesting to see how the story line evolves next season. I mean, now that we know about Tom, I can't see them staying together unless the writers think he can fool Liz for another year?!

11:37 pm March 4, 2014

K Nonny wrote:

I meant Clique thread.

11:41 pm March 4, 2014

Fluffy wrote:

Not a clique, K Noony. We were all participating in another Blacklist blog that suddenly went dark. So we came back here, where most of us started, to soldier on.

12:25 am March 5, 2014

Mrs C wrote:

I have been searching and searching for ppl who were discussing the Blacklist and could never find one. I finally got lucky tonight and found this site. I have really enjoyed reading everyone's ideas as to what is going on. Some of you have really put a lot of thought into this. Please keep commenting best reading I have done in a long time lol.

12:26 am March 5, 2014

Anonymous wrote:

Haven't read all the comments but does anyone think Liz is The primary target? Red knows it, and his whole job is to protect her ... From what though?

12:54 am March 5, 2014

PJ wrote:

Welcome, Mrs C! It is wonderful to discuss The Blacklist with others!
Anonymous- It is so interesting how things keep evolving. Liz could be the primary target! I am anxious to learn why Red was searching for Jolene and not he is her target.

1:42 am March 5, 2014

SM wrote:

Liz's past is also a major unknown. The last episode had two stories, Red's and Liz's both true. There are a lot of things about her past which have not yet come out. Should be interesting when that becomes known.

2:06 am March 5, 2014

emily wrote:

what is the name of the Blacklist blog that went dark?

3:29 am March 5, 2014

Fluffy wrote:

I agree that Liz is the primary target. If Red was, he would have just stayed hidden. Liz is so important to someone that they assigned a full-time mole to live with her. Tom-the-mole knows Red is here to protect her, which is why he has tried so hard to get Liz to move or to at least spend more time at home where he can stay close to her.

Someone expects Liz to do something in the future. I don't know what, but whatever it is they wanted to be sure that Tom was close by when she did or to at least warn them when she got close.

3:34 am March 5, 2014

N wrote:

Federal prosecutors, like those involved here, are called "US Attorney" or "Assistant US Attorney." State prosecutors, which are not involved here, are called "District Attorney." So none of these people are "DA"s. They are AUSAs or, less likely, USAs.

5:26 am March 5, 2014

Fluffy wrote:

What I find fascinating is that whomever placed Tom with Liz did so two years ago--long before she joined the FBI. What could have caused this much interest in this girl from Nebraska?

5:52 am March 5, 2014

Fluffy wrote:

Pardon my rambling on, but I can't sleep.

We know that Liz and Red go back at least to when she was four-years-old and Red gave her to Sam to raise. Not only to raise, but to hide! From who we don't know, but it looks like whomever it was found her two years ago and planted Tom with her. This whole FBI thing could be just the tip of a very large iceberg. Red is going after whoever he saved Liz from in the first place, because they have found her again and they pose a threat to her.

OK, back to bed... ::yawn::

6:45 am March 5, 2014

jeff wrote:

can someone tell me why in the pilot they say lizzie is adopted or something

7:58 am March 5, 2014

Fluffy wrote:

She was, by Sam, when she was four. Red brought her to Sam to take care of.

ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz................

8:43 am March 5, 2014

Redravenous wrote:

Thankfully some of you are here. Still hoping this is a temporary glitch.

8:48 am March 5, 2014

Bonnie wrote:

The black list is beyond entertaining. The characters and interwoven story line keep me on my toes, my wheels turning. The performances are award winning. Keep it coming!!!! The hell with more vocal reality shows.

9:35 am March 5, 2014

DLJL wrote:

I have read this blog basically since it's beginning ~ Thank you Jason E ~ This week has been really interesting with all the new posters and theories. I hope you all will stay....You keep me thinking.

9:55 am March 5, 2014

Montie wrote:

I am back, too. At first I thought my company was blocking the other site. Good to know that others were having problems accessing it, too. Glad to see post from some familiar "faces"!

I do remember seeing an interview with the actor who plays Ressler way back in the Fall. He said he originally auditioned to play Tom because he wanted to "play a bad guy for a change." Instead, they offered him the Ressler role. Glad they did!

10:20 am March 5, 2014

Anna wrote:

Redravenous, Fluff and Monty Good to see your posts this morning. I was wondering if WSJ is region blocked to those in the UK and Australia? I don't remember it being an issue last year. Still waiting for CES2.

Redravenous I thought of you when they said Diane was missing... her body still has not turned up. I know Mr. Kaplan always does SUCH a good job cleaning up after Red... but I still think your idea of Fitch finding Diane's body would have been exciting. It certainly would have sent a message!

10:37 am March 5, 2014

Tami J wrote:

What do you think is going on with Agent Malik? Didn't see her in this episode and wondering if we see her again or if she goes the way of Fowler...

10:37 am March 5, 2014

IowaViewer wrote:

First, thanks for the recaps! Best on the Web!

Re: Liz / Red connection

What if Liz is actually a clone or a successful genetically engineered experiment? That is, she has some of Red's DNA (maybe) but also material from others, maybe one of Red's siblings or a wife or lover? Further, perhaps her eggs have been harvested and used or will be. Maybe a second season storyline will be about finding her "children." If so, perhaps Tom was placed there to keep her out of circulation and so "Faction X" has access to her body.

Here's what I can't remember, and I don't have recordings of the show. Was the woman eating the apple who was watching Liz's apartment from across the street the woman who is now dating Ressler (again)? If so, I'm calling them "Faction Y." Jolene might work for Faction Z. I haven't decided how Fitch (Alan Alda) fits into this scheme, maybe a fourth faction.

Sorry if this is a bit disjointed. This is the first time I've written it out. Glad I found this blog! No one I know watches the show. It's too "confusing" and "violent" for them.

11:11 am March 5, 2014

Anonymous wrote:

Wouldn't it be absolutely jaw dropping if Liz knows all along of her husband's purpose. She too has hidden secrets and with all the twists in the story line I put nothing past the writers

12:11 pm March 5, 2014

Anna wrote:

N wrote: “Federal prosecutors, like those involved here, are called “US Attorney” or “Assistant US Attorney.”

N, perhaps you know the answer... How is it possible for Cooper's friend, “US Attorney” Tom Connelly, to become Attorney General? He said that when he became Attorney General that Cooper would have to tell him all about his “secret weapon,” and further that he would ask the president to appoint Cooper as the next head of the FBI. Diane's position technically was “United States Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division at the Department of Justice”... did this man Connelly fill Diane's position already? Was he joking about becoming Attorney General? That whole scene was confusing. Cooper's position is listed as “Assistant Director for Counter Terrorism at the FBI.” Is that possible for Connelly to rise to that position, or is he hinting that others in power will make sure he gets that position?

When Liz tried to talk to Cooper about the prisoner who was beaten, Cooper seemed to pull rank and tell her to drop it, that the only thing she should be concerned about was her career. It seemed as if Cooper was putting on a good show for Connelly, and that Cooper was just trying to keep HIS career options for advancement in place.

It was ironic for Cooper to threaten Liz's career. Without Liz, he would not have Red. And without Red, he would not have been able to successfully rack up all those arrests of people on Red's Blacklist, and solve all those cases.

1:19 pm March 5, 2014

Fergy wrote:

Fluffy, Liz had been with the FBI for 4 years and then decided to become a profiler and went through the classes at Quantico. Once she graduated she joined Coopers team but on her first day Red turned himself in which caused Cooper to request that a special task force be formed to deal with him.

K Nonny, We all used to follow this blog but WSJ decided that they were going to make it mandatory that you login through Facebook to post here. Several of us refused to do that and one of us, Logan, agreed to start a website just for the Blacklist and we all went over there. Logan has had a lot of personal problems lately and hasn't been able to keep up with the website. Now it is closed, which may be intentional or unintentional, we don't know for sure. So here we are back at WSJ because they in fact did not change their policy for posters. We do get a little personal with each other but that is because we have been posting on a private site and now we are back on a public sight.

Definitely not a clique, just a bunch of Blacklist Addicts affectionately called the CRACKLISTERS, sharing our thoughts on each episode and the show in general. We welcome all comments and theories it gives our imaginations fuel.

1:20 pm March 5, 2014

JK wrote:

Yes, Anna, I agree with you. Cooper would not have Red if it wasn't for Liz.

N-I am also curious to your thoughts on Cooper and Tom Connelly and their future positions. Would Cooper have to tell Tom who his "secret weapon" if he became Attorney General?

I wish Liz was a stronger woman or they had cast someone more believable. Maybe it's her wig.
Maybe Jolene finds Tom's warehouse/garage with "the wall of Liz" in the next episode and that's why he beats her up?

1:22 pm March 5, 2014

SH wrote:

The Cracklisters, I like that

1:23 pm March 5, 2014

Charmed wrote:

Welcome Iowa Viewer, As to what you said you can't remember- Audrey is Ressler's ex-fiancé, she broke up with him after he had been trailing Red for maybe 5 years. Remember the Anslo Garrick scenes in the box, Anslo happily admitted giving Ressler Red's whereabouts, but that Ressler more or less blew it. While saving Ressler, Red asked about his fiancé.

The apple eater helping run the surveillance was a man, that Liz later shot (next episode) when she went to the house across the street. Then we met the wonderful Mr. Kaplan for the first time.

I definitely think "children" have been a huge focus throughout the series, but I'm not sure how sci-fi they will be willing to go. You are going to love these discussions.

1:23 pm March 5, 2014

Fergy wrote:

I need to watch the episode again but JK, I believe Tom Connelly was saying that Cooper giving him his secret weapon would be a condition of him getting him the FBI Director's position.

1:32 pm March 5, 2014

Hank C wrote:

That's what he hinted Fergy……very strongly.

1:52 pm March 5, 2014

B+ wrote:

I've thoroughly convinced myself that Red's adversary (or atleast an advesary of some sort) is in Nabraska. This being due to the fact that Tom has been begging for some while to got (back?) now that his mission looks to be in jeprody. Perhaps an indication that he is trying to return to "HQ" or his employer now that things have gotten sticky? Further, if Liz was raised in Nabraska, and I can't remember if she was, it would imply that Red's advesary is the person in Nabraska.
Also, I don't believe that Alan Alda has anything to do with Tom. In the Anslo Garrick episode he asked Red why he was back. Tom quite easily could have told him that he was back for Lizzy. I also find it interesting how Red views Lizzy as a 'weapon' and giving her files on Tom as a long term investment. He's using her without a doubt. The questiin is, how emotionally attached is he really to her? We saw that he was pretty chocked up over her mother in "the stewmaker" yet he did kill Newton Phillips, emotions aside.
If Red isn't her father then I believe that an enemy of Red's is and that Red was connected to her mother some how, be it romantically or a family member.
Any chance that Lizzy's mum is Molly and that Liz reminds red of her?
Also, why was Red looking up Joleen BEFORE knowing that she was onto him?

Please do excuse any lack of clarity within this post; my first time commenting. Feel free to ask if something doens't make sense!

2:16 pm March 5, 2014

SH wrote:

But Mr. Kaplan is really a woman, right?
How is this person known to both sides? Didn't Liz call Mr. Kaplan after she killed the surveillance man across the street? And Red called him/her after he killed Diane to "clean up".

2:23 pm March 5, 2014

B+ wrote:

Re:SH
Red told Lizzy to get into a contact with a person named Mr Kaplan in the Anslo Garrick episode. Turns out that 'Mr' was actually a woman who works for Red, hence why both sides now know her

2:58 pm March 5, 2014

Anna wrote:

Tami J, I hope that Meera Malik is here to stay, I thought that Red and Meera might start up an alliance, where she could provide inside intelligence to him through her contacts at the CIA. But nothing has happened yet, it just seems as if she is terrified of Red (for some strange reason, go figure). Despite the fact that she was especially appointed by Diane Fowler to serve on the task force, she has done nothing wrong (so far). She inadvertently passed along the plans for the post office because Diane Fowler ordered her to do so, without knowing about the incursion. So I hope she does not go the way of Diane. Right now she just seems to be someone handy that Cooper can vent to.

Meera certainly must realize that Red could have killed her, but didn't. It would be interesting if down the road, that Meera needs Red's help with some issue, perhaps to do with her daughter, or with some outside threat (Fitch?). Then perhaps she would be grateful, and become a true ally with allegiance to Red, instead of fearing him. But then again, Red said that Meera, as part of the CIA, was beautiful but treacherous. So I am not sure he will ever trust her.

3:06 pm March 5, 2014

SH wrote:

Thanks B+. I was just thrown because I thought Mr. Kaplan would be a man and then turned out to be a woman.
Not sure if everyone is watching "Beyond the Blacklist" offered on IO but it is very interesting. I am going to make sure I watch them after each episode.

3:11 pm March 5, 2014

Anna wrote:

Fergy, I didn't understand that scene between Cooper and Connelly at all, glad you explained. Do you mean that Cooper would actually have to GIVE Red to Connelly? (Not just give up his name?) And Red would have to work with Connelly, and give HIM all the credit for solving the cases? Ohhhhh I do not think Red will like the sound of that.

3:28 pm March 5, 2014

Charmed wrote:

B+ and other 1st Time Posters- Welcome to Jason's blog. Many of us end up watching an episode several times. Watching at least once with closed captioning helps me catch words and sentences I could not hear or understand. After an episode I like to read everyone's comments, and ask any questions I have. I am telling you this because it was not long ago that I posted for the first time too and some were kind enough to help me.

B+, I don't know where the Adversary lives, but always got the idea that he or she may be "high" in government.
I think Tom just wanted to move to Nebraska to become Liz's primary influence, as he was before Red came along.

3:36 pm March 5, 2014

Theory du jour wrote:

I’m seeing some old FaceBook evaders back on this thread. You’ve now dubbed yourselves, “The Cracklisters.” Very Clevah.

I always suspected Liz is some form of android, created by Fitchy’s Secret Society as a weapon, and stolen by Red. Why do I think this? Red told her that “everything” she believes about herself is a lie. Also, she doesn’t want to birth her own child. Her reasoning is to give a parentless child a home. It could be her techno-biological imperative at work, programming her that pregnancy is a no-no. Tom must know this, hence his referring to his marriage to Liz as a “job.” How can he love her if he knows she’s partially or fully inorganic? It may have accounted for Red’s overlong pause when Liz asked him if he was her father. Perhaps he himself had a hand (heehee) in her creation. If Ressler falls for her, it’ll be devastating when they both find out the truth. I’m a real sucker for this dramatic storyline. I hope at least a smidge of it pans out.

4:06 pm March 5, 2014

B+ wrote:

Re: Charmed
Thank you very much for the welcome and I too agree that the advesary either is or previously was high government. Ironically enough, Red's words are ones I trust in terms of speculation.
I was wondering, given that we now know Red to be fully correct about Tom, whether Tom's involvment in the killing of that spy holds any significance. He had the murder weapon. He also claimed to have been with Newton Philips at the time...(I think he just said that to deflect attention from himself onto Red) So the real question is; where was he?
Also, the fact that he singled out Newton would suggest that he knew enough about Red to know that Newton worked for him.

4:12 pm March 5, 2014

Zaz wrote:

Theory du jour
Liz being a robot? That definitely is an interesting and unusual theory. I’d rather her be human though, especially if she becomes involved in a serious relationship. Less messy that way. But who knows.

4:12 pm March 5, 2014

Nick wrote:

I feel Gina Zanetakos will reappear after she escapes from the medical facility she is being treated in. She is but the tip of the iceberg Fitch is contained in. Fitch is a representative of a much bigger organization which controls the nefarious events going on in our world. His appearance when Red was caged proves he is not the top dog in the organization because whoever is the boss is much smarter than to expose himself. Gina knows Tom--think about the false ID and passports hidden in the same manner in their respective places. I am sure they have work together in the past even though she denied knowing Tom. Tom is much like the Russian spy Anna Chapman who was planted to remain hidden until needed. Gina's return, if it happens, will really blow the lid off of the organization Fitch belongs too.

4:28 pm March 5, 2014

K Nonny wrote:

I don’t recall seeing this mentioned before, but what if Liz really knows the big secret about herself, and she’s the one playing Red. We recently learned she was a grifter and has the slight of hand. She could end up outsmarting us all.

Also not mentioned is Tom and Meera's possible faux interrogation at the Post Office. He falsely fingered Grey as the man who interviewed him. Tom could be CIA and in cahoots with Meera. Something to think about.

4:51 pm March 5, 2014

sheila wrote:

I think they had Tom hypnotized/programed and when Lucy said the trigger word he came out of it notice how his facial expresssion changed after she said "wrong answer". So now he will finish the job he was assigned to do.

4:56 pm March 5, 2014

CES2 wrote:

I'm here Anna.

I'm looking forward to Tom's confrontation with Jolene, I think he would try to kill her, she knows his secret so she is a threat to him.

One thing isn't clear to me - is there a definite mention that she works for the same side as him? Or is that a conclusion Tom jumped to when she confronted him with her knowledge of his mission?

5:02 pm March 5, 2014

Anonymous wrote:

K Nonny, I was also under the impression that something is up with Tom and Malik. Either she knows or she suspects him. However, I'm only basing it on that long look she gave Liz and Tom whulst they were hugging. She looked guilty/worried. As for Lizzy herself, there has been a change in her since the Anslo Garrick epidodes. She probably is outsmarting people but I don't think she is capable of outsmarting Red. Greater stress will probably be placed on her skills as a profiler and that box of clues that her 'father' gave her.

Nick, I agree with the Tom/Zina thing being linked. We'll rpobably fond Joleen to have a box of her own. The only difference betweens Tom's box and Zina's is that Tom had a strange symbol on his. I've seen speculation on this symbol before on this site, some reckon it matches Lizzy's scar (I'd love that to be true!)
Tom doesn't quite need to be married to her to be a 'sleeper' agent. Perhaps his emplyers know that Lizzy is important for something but can't for the life of them work out why. All they know is that Red will return for his 'weapon' when she is needed, hence the spy invading her life.
You're most likely right about Fitch having superiors. If you couple that with the russian spy drama then this 'war' seems like an international field.

5:08 pm March 5, 2014

The C.O.T. wrote:

Great episode. Some far out comments. It was good to see Red a bit tamer, so that other characters could shine. It shouldn't be a one man show anyway.

5:18 pm March 5, 2014

Mrs C wrote:

Some comments are leaning toward Liz being a target instead of Red. Has anyone given the stuffed rabbit any thought? We have seen it a few times. Could Liz be the target because the bad guys are looking for something they think she may have and they have not figured out that it is hidden in the rabbit. Liz has no idea either.

6:04 pm March 5, 2014

Anna wrote:

Hi CES2, Good to see your post! BTW, there are a few short promotional clips that NBC has released, one is called "Jolene Jolene Jolene" one is "the Whys and the Why Nots" and the last is called "Tom's Secret is out." Those are all in addition to "Beyond the Blacklist" for that episode. The clips just basically play 3 or 4 minutes of the key scenes.

That scene at the end with Tom and Jolene leaves both possibilities open, CES2. Initially it seems as if they are on the same side... but it is Tom that assumes she has been sent to test him. She does not confess that. After Tom says he can't be with her because he loves his wife she says..... "Wrong answer. She is not your wife. She is your target." It is then he says... "Did they send you, is this a test?" Something like that... Jolene's demeanor changes drastically, and she looked annoyed. In the preview for the next episode... Tom has more lines than I think he has had all season! He really is perturbed that they are sending someone to question his ability to complete his mission after "two years" of no contact. Total character change.

So now we know Tom's target is Liz, and Jolene's target is Red... and in the preview for the next episode we see him fighting with a woman, throwing her against something (a car?) , the woman LOOKS like Liz, but it is most likely Jolene (Maybe to be a shock... it will be Audrey! They all look alike.) I hate to disagree with BC, but I don't think Cowboy and Jolene (or who ever the woman is) are in the same room at the same time when Cowboy is tied up on a chair.

If they are on the same side... why is he so angry? Doesn't make sense CES2, unless Tom discovers that Jolene deceived him, and that she is not working for the same people.

6:34 pm March 5, 2014

PJ wrote:

Some people have wondered if Cowboy will survive the next episode or be murdered by Tom. Cowboy is set to be in 3 episodes so it may take that long to resolve the Tom and Jolene situation.

6:42 pm March 5, 2014

Anna wrote:

Mrs. C, That is an interesting idea. We have always known Liz is important to Red... and now it seems she is important to many more people. Even her husband was given the job of staying close to her for some reason. He's has lots of opportunity to search all her belongings....but your bunny idea made me think of something else.

I have always wondered what it might be about her that would be valuable, and her memories were probably not clear at such a young age. She probably does not remember her real father. But you may be right, it might be a possession she has that belonged to her biological father, the career criminal, or something that is important to him.

I was also reminded of the “Courier” episode where the courier had that medical condition where he could not feel pain, so he would cut himself (gross!) and hide things under his skin. Do you remember that episode? What if Lizzie's scar is really a hiding place for something valuable but no one knows... not even Liz. Perhaps no one knows except Red because Sam put the item there? I also remember a scene where Red asks Liz to show him her scar, as if it were very important to him. He wanted to make sure the scar was there.

6:43 pm March 5, 2014

ziji wrote:

So episode 18 is casting two characters Walter reddington and Craig keen

No other info about either man

Remember keen is Liz's married last name, not her maiden name

6:44 pm March 5, 2014

K Nonny wrote:

Since Liz is the focal point of all mystery in the show, she is everyones target as far as I'm concerned. Jolene and Tom share a "They" between them. Are "They" the same or different entities? I agree with the poster who said that Tom looked "hypnotized" inferring "brainwashing" or some other control. The plot will become too convoluted if there are too many C.H.A.O.S agencies involved though.

6:59 pm March 5, 2014

The C.O.T. wrote:

K Nonny...I agree that the perfect season ending will be the death of Tom, at the end of Liz's gun. I have zero tolerence for men who beat women, even if it is a btch like Jolene. No Mercy! Get rid of him.

7:06 pm March 5, 2014

CES2 wrote:

Anna. This is an absolutely brilliant thought. It would explain a lot..It would also work if we assume Liz was telling the truth in Ep1..."I was fourteen" and then her reply to Red's " did someone tried to hurt you?"... " not exactly.."

7:14 pm March 5, 2014

CES2 wrote:

Sorry, I think I lost my previous post

Anna wrote [What if Lizzie’s scar is really a hiding place for something valuable] ,

this is brilliant , it would also work if Liz was telling the truth in Ep1 about being 14 at the time .Remember when Red asked .."someone was trying to hurt you?"...she replied " not exactly"

7:30 pm March 5, 2014

K Nonny wrote:

I recall the dream that Liz had when she first found out about Tom. I believe the scene was in Wu Jing. Tom was choking her and telling her he worked for some very important people, and demanded she tell him how much she knew about him. It seems more like a premonition now, since we know Liz is not your normal average girl. She's been branded, but we don't know what it means. Maybe the android poster was right, and the scar is the final touch in her completion - The makers Trademark, if you will.

7:31 pm March 5, 2014

Anna wrote:

CES2, Then maybe Liz has known all along, that Sam gave her something important to hide, to keep safe until it was needed, when he gave her the scar. Maybe those that have been saying (sorry Megan Boone) that Liz is "smarter than she looks" are right ... that she is hiding lots of secrets and is only pretending to be a naive innocent newbie profiler.

Also, thanks PJ, for the info about the Cowboy. So he will be around for at least two more episodes.

7:43 pm March 5, 2014

PJ wrote:

I was glad to learn that, Anna. I really didn't want him to die at the hands of Tom in the next episode.

7:46 pm March 5, 2014

Mrs C wrote:

Great thought Anna! The scar has to have some meaning and your idea could be a big aha moment.

I was thinking the rabbit because it was in the box that Liz got after Sam's death and it was rescued from the fire. Not sure what it's importance is but it seems nothing is put in this show that does not serve a purpose for future shows. It gets hard for me to remember all the little things that are said and done.

8:05 pm March 5, 2014

Liz wrote:

I thought the same thing as Sheila. Tom looked like he came out of a trance when he was speaking to Joleen. I think he was hypnotized (or something.). Actually, Liz may have been hypnotized too and is the reason why Ray said she doesn't know everything about her past.

8:20 pm March 5, 2014

The C.O.T. wrote:

Perhaps Liz branded herself, burned down her house and killed her family. She may be a bad seed who was rescued by Red somehow and rehabilitated, hence her need to "understand the criminal mind." That mind being her own. Sounds plausible, considering pretty much anything goes in this show.

Brian W...yes, last week's show was definitely a "hiccup."

8:26 pm March 5, 2014

Zaz wrote:

I like the TM for the Lizbot. Cool.

8:50 pm March 5, 2014

Charmed wrote:

I am missing at least two comments, one may have been a CLEAR and the other may have disappeared because of the Soiled word, with a p. Let try this.

How many Anonymous posters are commenting?

9:06 pm March 5, 2014

K Nonny wrote:

My brain is starting to fry, so last post for me for the eve. C.O.T.s theory resonates with me. She either remembers her potential for mayhem, or it may seem like an illusion to her. The writers are tricksters, and it's their job to fool and mislead. We were warned at the beginning...it's never what we think we see (unless they let their guard down, of course).

9:53 pm March 5, 2014

Charmed wrote:

Regarding my 7:50 post- You can't use the S word on this blog.

Someone, somewhere said (paraphrasing) I can't believe Tom is not married to Liz! Answer: You better believe it. Liz turns to Tom's "older brother" (must be Craig) to find out the truth about Tom's background. Unfortunately, something's not right about her " brother -in-law either. Apparently he may have a connection to Jolene.

Well Hell's Bells! What do you think of these "apples"?

Of course we can't always believe what we see or read about this show. Remember "The Katana", etc.

Anna, I miss doing all the stuff you taught me. Any ideas?

9:58 pm March 5, 2014

Anonymous wrote:

Ziti, thanks for the names and other info. I'm surprised someone hasn't pounced on that already! I read Ep 17 in one place, Ep 18 in another.

Who do y'all think Walter is?

10:09 pm March 5, 2014

Charmed wrote:

Alright! I would be scared to post as Anonymous, because I'm not used to putting in my name in first, and someone might think you wrote one of my comments.

OMG, I just realized I spelled z-i-j-i, but it turned to Ziti. I'm so sorry. Maybe it would be better if I didn't enter a name on this post, but...

10:37 pm March 5, 2014

CeeCee wrote:

This storyline for Tom could not have gone any other way but down and out. The marriage angle was bizarre at the get go. Who would believe the union of a gun toting Special Ops Fed and a milquetoast primary school teacher? I never did, and now we know Tom is a sadist and everything Red warned Lizzie about. Red again is right, even though it's annoying at times.

The commenter who mentioned abuse against women was correct when they wrote that not many people would be sympathetic to a bloke who beats up on women, and is a threat to his own wife. There's is no retribution for Tom as far as I'm concerned. Off with his 'ead.

10:46 pm March 5, 2014

Anonymous And Beyond wrote:

The guillotine for Tom Keen. Good one CeeCee.

10:54 pm March 5, 2014

Anna wrote:

Ha Charmed, and you said you weren't a comedienne.. I thought that Anonymous using y'all sounded familiar. Not allowed to post links here, if that's what you meant. Also, they may not like spoilers...

And yes, thanks to ziji for the info, that is interesting. Wonder who Walter Reddington will be? What fun if William Shatner would guest star as Red's long lost father or uncle... or perhaps Walter will be young enough to be a son or nephew. Exciting to finally meet someone that is actually related to Red. But... I'll believe it when I see it.

You're right Charmed, so many things we've read about what's coming up on the show have not panned out. Someone was supposed to be tied up in Madeline Pratt, and we were supposed to learn a lot about Jolene in this episode. What ever happened to the hint about Jolene's connection to a former person on the Blacklist? I suppose they meant the alchemist she used to fake her death. I was hoping she would be Gina Zanetakos' sister. And remember they changed Madeline's last name about three times. Madeline Pratt, Madeline Boyd... Oh I forgot the third one. The Katana episode... still missing. It is always a snipe hunt.

10:59 pm March 5, 2014

chloe louise--the ronnie republic wrote:

Has any one noticed in the last two episodes Liz has not gone into her usual thing with Red about questioning him, his motives, who he is, etc. In the previous episode it almost seemed as if she had a hint of a smile on her face when she was talking to him. I thought at first there was a romantic push pull between the two of them but now I do not know, but Liz seems different and different towards Red--different towards the husband, Tom Bond, and different in her own status as exemplified by the handy card trick last week. As if she has accepted Red more or accepted their team status more. It's good against evil--Liz and Red are good--even if they are bad they are still ultimately good. They are fighting the ememy of Tom and Jolene who are waring evil factions. Personally, I still think they are from another planet along with Fitch or an evil third world order takeover. Okay, maybe I listen to a little to much Coast to Coast but I still think I am right. Well, what do you think?

11:00 pm March 5, 2014

The C.O.T. wrote:

LOL. How about his head served with an apple in his mouth on a silver platter. As Red so eloquently put it to Liz regarding the fertilized duck egg - "eating it would be like dying and going to Hell."

11:17 pm March 5, 2014

Charmed wrote:

Wow CeeCee, I guess there is no retribution for Tom as far as you're concerned!

Yes, Red is always right. Bless his heart.
Who knows what may really happen on March 17th?

11:32 pm March 5, 2014

The C.O.T. wrote:

Chole...Aliens? There could be an alien weapon that Red has, or knows where it's hidden. Who knows? I'd sooner believe androids (aka technically enhanced humans) because it's more in tune with what we've seen so far (the Alchemist comes to mind). For now, I don't believe the show runners were looking for the ET sci-fi bent with this show. It's more of a terrestrial thriller. Would be an interesting twist at any rate if they did go Fringe or X-Files on us.

11:44 pm March 5, 2014

A.M. wrote:

CES2 - you're thinking along the same lines as I am right now. Jolene never said she worked for the same people Tom works for, he just assumed she did since she knew his cover story. Could be Jolene works for Fitch and Tom works for the adversary, or vice versa. Apple Man didn't know who Tom was working with, it could be Fitch never told him (need to know only) or it could be Fitch doesn't know and he sent Jolene to find out. Jolene may just be going along with Tom's mistaken belief so she can get more info out of him. This could be why he attacks her - he realizes she's not on his team and she's jeopardizing his cover.

Anna - I slowed the preview down. It's Jolene Tom is fighting with, not Liz or Audrey. And I agree with BC, the Cowboy and Jolene both seem to be at some sort of warehouse garage place where Tom has a wall full of pictures including the ones from the Gina Z episode of the Victor hit. Later you see Tom sitting in a chair opposite the Cowboy, you can see his jacket on the chair. He takes his glasses off and puts them on the chair, and then you see Jolene's body on the ground by the car off to the right of the Cowboy (the same car he had knocked her into when he was attacking her), and Tom come running back as the Cowboy starts to get himself loose, his glasses still on the chair. Maybe it's the Cowboy who lets Tom know Jolene isn't working on the same team as him... hmm...

And speaking of previews, the preview for the Judge did not have any scenes in it that weren't in the episode. When Lizzy sazys "I have a witness... he saw it happen", it's from the scene where Liz confronts Cooper and the ADA - she says "I have a witness [who says he heard you order you to beat a confession out of Rifkin]. He saw it happen."

Speaking of previews part 2, Anna - I'm so glad it wasn't Fitch Cooper was talking to in the Judge preview:). I think he's important to Red for some reason. I liked the parallel of Cooper being in the chair with Red saving his life and Red being in the box in Anslo Garrick and Cooper trying to save his life.

And lastly, I think it's insightful that Red told the Cowboy not to do anything to Jolene because she's finishing an operation and he wants to see how it plays out. Maybe he's taken the same approach with Tom and that explains why all he's done about Tom at this point is to warn Lizzy to be careful.

11:55 pm March 5, 2014

Fluffy wrote:

Anna: The Attorney General is appointed by the President. The Attorney General is head of the Justice Department which includes the FBI, all US Attorneys and all Assistant Attorneys General.

If Connelley was appointed Attorney General, he would have a great deal of influence on who the President appointed as head of the FBI and as Attorney General he would then be the head of the FBI's boss.

In that kind of Connelley/Cooper relationship, Connelley could order Cooper to tell him who the "secret weapon" was.

Make sense now??

12:53 am March 6, 2014

Charmed wrote:

Anna, The idea about Liz's scar is first rate. The bunny, we've discussed, and there is still the possibility there may be something inside. But THE SCAR is just wild enough to ring true. Yes, Anna, you would probably know my comments even if I left out the y'all.

So glad to see comments from A.M. and CES2, great posts, glad to hear more about the preview.

I have heard Tom called Warby Parker and never understood. But A.M. You just reminded me in your post.
WARBY PARKER is the name of the glasses Tom wears.

I know one person that really has a thing about Tom's glasses. Now we find out that he takes them off, when he is really going to be bad. Was it a feeling you had, after all?

Theory du jour, Yes we were the Facebook evaders. But we're back for now. Kinda scary. You are right about Clevah, BC proclaimed us the Cracklisters. I answered, soon after you posted, but probably hit the clear button again.

Fluffy, good info in your post, now if I can just remember it.

Chloe Louise! I never felt the romantic vibes between Red and Liz. But I have seen Liz softening towards Red.
I am glad because I think they will need each other more than ever now.

Bruce W, I love the name "Juicy" for Jolene and you had some great comments. But, IMO, I didn't think last week's episode was a hiccup. I like seeing people who knew Red in the past and Madeline was a good foil for Red. I enjoyed some of the lighter and darker moments Red had in this episode. I learn something historical in every episode, examples this week was the virginals (the painting) and the Syrian effigy (Atargstis) that Red kept. We also found out that Red was staying in a hedge fund manager's home, that MAY have ties to Audrey.
Lee learned that Liz has a background of unexpected skills. Sorry for the kinda recap, but I enjoy it ALL!

3:43 am March 6, 2014

CES2 wrote:

CeeCee wrote [who would believe the union of a gun toting Special Ops Fed and a milquetoast primary school teacher?}
I think this shows what a good actor Tom was to make Liz believe that such a union was possible.

Theory du jour - some of us do not even have FB accounts,

Anna, I think it is possible that Katana had a name change to Mako Tanida ?

A.M -the writers reminded us many times that Tom was cleared by FBI. So as far as FBI is concerned either
1. FBI did not do their job properly
2. Someone high-up on the side of bad guys covered it up and used Apple man to monitor him.( Diane?)
3. Tom could be working for an entirely different group (Adversary), and their secret activities are well hidden fro FBI

4:02 am March 6, 2014

Fluffy wrote:

I hope that Fitch's group and the Adversary are not two entirely different groups. That level of complexity would be difficult to keep track of. I've always considered Fitch to be the somewhat public face of the Adversary. Am I wrong in thinking that??

8:13 am March 6, 2014

CES2 wrote:

I don't know, Fluffy. The only mention of the Adversary that I remember was at the end of Currier episode, when Grey questioned Red about the young NSA agent giving Red one time access to classified networks- " the right question and we could have made the world tremble, finally found our adversary...why did you waste it on a girl?"

A.M- sorry , my last post does not sound right - I should read .So iIn my opinion as far as FBI is concerned....

9:24 am March 6, 2014

Anna wrote:

Thank you A.M. , for the clarifications, as always you pick up on all the important details. It is amazing how that 30 second clip of the preview for next week's episode can be so relevant. I'm stunned that they are showing so much about what is to come. The clip flies by so fast, without freezing it, it's hard to tell what is going on. I can't believe I missed SO much. Now I know why J.K. , said something about a “wall of Liz.” How did I miss that? And sorry to BC, for doubting you, it seems that Jolene and Cowboy ARE in the same room. “You were right and I was wrong, sorry.” I should just save that and just copy and paste it here when the need arises. . <----prefer my winks, no icons necessary.

Fluff, thanks for you explanation about the Attorney General, I have a feeling we are going to see more of Mr. Tom Connelly. And this also tells me that when it comes to doing the right thing, that Cooper will instead have another priority, his career. (They better show Cooper with a family, kids and a puppy soon, because viewers are starting to hate this guy.)

CES2, you are probably right about the name change of “Katana.” Also, I still believe that Fitch and the Adversary ARE separate factions that are colliding with the meeting of Tom and Jolene. Red is the common denominator, and thus the “war” he mentions, is brewing. Because of “the enemy of your enemy may just be another enemy” hint, the Adversary may end up being a formidable opponent to both Fitch and Red. Fitch and Red may have to align in a common cause in order to fight the Adversary.

Liz's origins may be tied to the Adversary prior to 1990, and Fitch's importance may be related to whatever happened to Red in 1990, that is probably connected to a mission gone bad in relation to the U.S.- led military activities that took place in Kuwait. Jmho

9:29 am March 6, 2014

Anna wrote:

Sorry, need more caffeine.... it's not next week's episode. It's for March 17th. And I tried so hard NOT to make the icon... just have to stop winking at people. It's SO hard.

Charmed, I forgot to say I hope you sleep all day to make up for staying up all night. And yes, I confess it was ME that made a big deal about those glasses. They were such a good prop to make him look so innocent. And the glasses come off when the gun comes out!

9:37 am March 6, 2014

SH wrote:

Just a tidbit - I heard one of the writers say that the guy who played the Alchemist tried out for the part of Tom.
Tom - Glasses on, glasses off...kind of like Clark Kent and Superman.
In the preview, Tom takes his glasses off before he goes to beat up the Cowboy.
And what is the significance of the car?

10:02 am March 6, 2014

SH wrote:

In the preview-There is a high-powered rifle with a telephoto lens on the table and a computer with something on it. More than just photos of Liz on the wall-looks like cases she was working on also.
I don't think Tom and Jolene knew each other before. I re-watched the episode when they met and she had that file on him. And she was rehearsing what she would say when she met him.

11:58 am March 6, 2014

Josh wrote:

It seems to me that the preview from last week was misleading (at the end of Episdoe 14) because it showed Liz confronting Tom over the fling with Jolene. However, that never happened in this episode. Anyone else notice that or wonder if it's significant?

12:14 pm March 6, 2014

BC wrote:

Wow I have to give it to Anna for the best new theory in regards to Liz's 'secret' potentially being something hidden under her scar. It's been 100% proven by AM on the other blog that the scar symbol matches the symbol on BOTH Tom and Gina Z's box - this is fact. Perhaps that symbol is really a key and Liz has the actual key under her scar? If Red discovered something evil by the SSG (Secret Shadow Gov't) as an up and coming Navy Admiral and rescued Liz from some experiments/secret facilities by burning it down, perhaps he placed the 'key' within Liz or had Sam do it at a later date.

Of course it was an actual metal key, she might set off some metal detectors and make airport security see it via xray so perhaps its not a 'key' in the literal sense of the word but looking at the shape of the symbol, it could be a DNA Helix pattern that proves the secret genetic engineering experiments going on in the SSG labs were truly happening and prove 110% that Red's secrets of Fitch's group that he has locked away are valid papers and not fraudulent - thus he NEEDS Lizzy to prove his claims of SSG existing, their misconduct and experiments, and his innocence are all true.

Another poster above had a good point too in regards to Tom - he called at the EXACT right time at the Post Office Incursion to essentially SAVE Liz's life (from being shot by Garrick) - the timing of that call now I find incredibly suspicious as it appears Tom needs to keep her alive too - if she was of value dead, she'd already be dead a million times now but for some reason (suppressed memories, hidden objects inside her, hypnotic suggestions that have yet to be enacted/enabled etc) they all need to watch her carefully and ensure she stays alive, at least for now.

And FWIW (as we all know the truth now), poster CES proved 110% several weeks ago that Tom was a bad guy on the other blog by matching up screenshots of his France Passport, showing a discrepancy between the one shown in the Pilot episode and the one that was turned into the FBI - there was a minor change in the name of the person, showing Tom had SWITCHED the passports before begging Liz to turn him into the FBI to clear him. CES also caught that when he said "who the hell is...?" in the latter episode referring to the name on the passport, he screwed up and said the name on the EARLIER passport, not the switched one!

1:16 pm March 6, 2014

Anna wrote:

Hi BC, wow, great synopsis of all of our discoveries... but you forgot about Liz's bandage over the scar during the Anslo Garrick incursion, when she cut her hand on the elevator, the same hand with the infamous SCAR. She had that bandage on when Anslo threatened to kill her, so Anslo never saw the scar.

Thank you for the nod... I wasn't really thinking of a key, did they have flash drives when Liz was 14? If she was born in 1983 (as Megan Boone was) she would have been 14 in 1997. I suppose they had floppy discs (too bulky), microfilm (just right), or early flash or thumb drives. Maybe it's old fashioned microfilm. Mrs. C and her bunny idea may not be far from the truth. Why would Sam keep an old singed stuffed animal all these years, Sam must have bought Liz many other stuffed animals, why keep only the bunny?

The bunny is probably from before she was adopted, and it serves it's purpose in causing Liz to have those "fire" flashbacks. Hopefully more repressed memories are down the road. And as Mrs. C points out, she has only recently had possession of the stuffed animal since Sam's death. Everything happens for a reason on the Blacklist.

1:39 pm March 6, 2014

SH wrote:

BC-what episode was it, a few weeks ago, where Tom's passport comes up again? I want to watch that episode again. Thanks

2:57 pm March 6, 2014

Charmed wrote:

Josh, We are frequently misled by previews or advertisements, even the written word. But see A.M.'s earlier post at 11:44pm, for clarification on this one.

Anna, A.M., BC, Thanks A Lot, for making me even more homesick. But the above posts reminded me in a good way. A couple of thousand in depth posts, wicked good theories by all, including the infamous BUTT theory (nod to BC on that one). I have been endlessly entertained. Please excuse my digression.

Anna, I liked your idea. Cooper either needs to visit an animal shelter or the writers really need to hurry up with some backstory.
Maybe he didn't want it to appear that he could be swayed by an agent well below his pay grade and security clearance, but he didn't need to threaten her job.

The Katana was announced 12/30/13 by Joe Carnahan on Twitter, much later the same photo was shown with the blurb "We have had so much fun with this!" I don't know what they meant, but the title and episode number was all over the web.

The next episode, Mako Tanida, had been advertised as learning more about Ressler, and a former foe of Red's. Just as last Monday we were to learn more about Jolene. But Big Bad Tom Bond is removing his Warby Parker's to take on Jolene (who upset his plans) and Cowboy with at least one hand tied behind him!
SH- I missed the rifle. What good eyes you have! But the pictures, WOW. Their wedding picture and so many others. So much to see in such a short time.

No rest for the wicked, Anna.

3:59 pm March 6, 2014

Anna wrote:

Such a good post, Charmed! And your digression is understandable... you know I would have saved all the text of everyone's clever and creative ideas... if I had only known.

SH, the two most important episodes about the passports and the box, are the pilot when Liz finds them (in the floor under the bloody carpeting), and Gina Zanetakos, when Tom confronts Liz about what he has found. (But that is never really shown, how he happened to FIND the box). The scene only shows Tom standing over the hole in the floor, making a call to Liz, and then he has a strange look on his face (smile smirk indifference?) as he replaces the cover back over the opening.

Liz also removed the box to do a ballistics test on the gun in the Courier I believe, and spoke to Red a few times about not knowing who to trust. Her two options were to confront Tom or to turn him into the FBI, but she chooses the third option... to do nothing. It isn't until "Gina Zanetakos" that the box with passports are mentioned again. (And at the very end of the episode right before it.)

Tom mentioned his "really good fake IDs" when Liz is getting ready to go out in Madeline Pratt, but other than that, they are not brought up again. If I am mistaken, I am positive BC will correct me.

Hank, I think we lost Redd Herring in the move. Like a little bit of lost luggage the airlines like to keep.

5:02 pm March 6, 2014

ziji wrote:

Logan, if you are reading any of these, please know that we are thinking of you!!! I'm sure I'm not the only one who keeps checking our old site. You enabled us to become the cracklisters.....some of us may have posted, some of us may have lurked...but you made it happen. We don't know where you are, but you are definitely in our thoughts. You put much effort into creating something for all of US to enjoy. Thank you! And take care of yourself

5:05 pm March 6, 2014

SH wrote:

There have been a few misleading previews so far where some of the things did not happen in the episode.
I freeze framed the preview for 3/17/14-that's how I saw the gun. I see a graduation photo of someone-I am assuming Liz. And a child's photo. Also a wedding photo of Tom and Liz? Hair looks different. I tried to zoom in but couldn't focus on that photo.
xfinitytv.com has the past episodes and clips and interviews

5:59 pm March 6, 2014

Hank C wrote:

Anna wrote: [Hank, I think we lost Redd Herring in the move. Like a little bit of lost luggage the airlines like to keep.]

He really wasn't too active over there either unless he was finding fault with the show. I tried to answer most of his comments, but he would get rather silent afterwards.

I know I don't post as much as you guys do. I basically comment after I see the episode at least twice. I don't speculate as much as you guys do, but I do enjoy reading your ideas. You come up with some really interesting theories.

6:06 pm March 6, 2014

BC wrote:

Anna in regards to Liz's scar and something being placed there, again I am thinking its less of a physical 'object' like a flash drive - my idea of it being a strip of special genetic material buried under it is kind of an 'object' and kind of not. And remember the symbol is like a twisted fiber split into two - so that could be representing a dna split maybe to represent the genetic experiments division etc?

Not sure how her hand being bandaged during the PO incursion relates to Tom's phone call at the perfect time so I believe I missed your point on that. I believe Garrick was merely the muscle hired by Fitch and his people to capture Red for interrogating. I dont think he knows anything about Liz, the scar etc. so to him, it didnt matter whether she had a scar visible or not.

The more wild theories that have been thrown about I don't believe only because the writers/producers have been clear from day 1 that the show is 'rooted in reality' and not in sci-fi - they will stretch certain ideas but not use things that are too far out there/unbelievable so Liz being a pure 'clone' seems a little far out while her being genetically modified via experimentation seems more in line but who knows.

In regards to the prior passport discovery by CES, the first episode had the France passport with the name Pierre Anton Louis while the episode where Tom begs to be brought into questioning, he pulls out of the same box a France passport that looks nearly identical but says just 'Piere Anton' (first name spelled different and missing the middle name) - yet he says to Liz 'who the hell is Pierre Anton Louis' which shows he memorized the name of the Original passport but not the switched one. There are NO other France passports in the boxes - only 1 - so they were definitely switched out by him. I may be off with the names but it was something just like that!

6:21 pm March 6, 2014

CES2 wrote:

You remember it well BC , except (if I may say so for clarity) it's the other way around - the first passport (Ep)1 has Piere-Luis Anton , the one in Gina Zanatakos has Pierre Anton

6:25 pm March 6, 2014

PS wrote:

Someone mentioned the significance of the car in next week's previews. When Red met Cowboy in the parking lot Cowboy was in an older Cadillac but would not engage in conversation about it. Red said his father loved Cadillacs.

7:10 pm March 6, 2014

A.M. wrote:

Anna, I also think the Adversary and Fitch are not the same team and that Jolene works for one and Tom for the other. And I like your tie in to the 'enemy of your enemy' in that context. Red told Cooper that the war was coming - if he knows Tom works for one side and Jolene for the other, he can see that war looming on the horizon. The question is who is the target - Red or Liz? Red wasn't in Liz's life 2 years ago, but he was keeping an eye on her. If she's important to him, Team Tom may know it and was expecting him to show up at some time. I do think Tom recognized Red at the hospital but had to play dumb or it would've given up his cover.We'll need to see if there are pictures of Red on his wall in that garage on the next episode. Or in my altered BC-theory-to-Fringe theory, Liz may be the key to it all. She may be the one with the enhanced abilities of some sort that, like Olivia Dunham at the beginning of Fringe, she doesn't remember.

BC and Anna - I never would have thought of Lizzy's scar hiding evidence of some sort, that's brilliant. A microfilm or a small vile with dna evidence, either way,. As for the bunny, that's possible too since the writers have shown secrets hidden in the bottom of an icon in Madeline Pratt.

BC and the poster who mentioned that Tom called at the exact time in the post office to save her life. Viewing that in a new light, it's totally possible he or his team had bugged the post office and he was watching the whole thing and called to try to interrupt Anslo from killing her.

As for the two French passports, I've been saying since Gina Z that we never knew when Tom found that the box, he could've had days to make the switch of the passports and have the money lead to Red. He could've waited to call Liz when it was all set and ready. However, that being said, there were other passports in that box that they don't show Lizzy opening, she just leaves them in the stack so it's also possible there were 2 french passports that differed slightly. Doesn't change my belief he changed the box out, just that the 2 french passports can be explained by the other passports they show in a stack. It also may have just been a prop department error that the writers can now take advantage of! Like how they had two different file names on the Victor case, the one on the box didn't match the one on the file itself. Significant or prop dept error?

7:12 pm March 6, 2014

Anonymous wrote:

PS - Anna: I agree that the character of Cooper is becoming more and more unlikable. And they continue to play him as incompetent, you wonder if all his appointments to date were political rather than because he was a great agent. The fact that he let himself be captured so easily was pretty pathetic for an agent whose been warned in advanced, but they really haven't shown him doing anything really impressive since the show started. Are they saving some big reveal about him for a later episode or is this basically his character for the rest of the series?

CES2 - it could be that the next episode is Katana, as it is written by Jon B, but how could they have written an episode with Tom, Jolene and the Cowboy before they introduced those characters? They must have had a huge rewrite:).

PS - I just checked the preview again and froze the frame with the car. It's not a Cadillac, it may be Tom's car.

7:18 pm March 6, 2014

Anna wrote:

BC, I agree with you that Tom calling is very suspect now that we know he is not an innocent school teacher. Why did he call at that exact moment, how did he know? Aram had successfully knocked out all the blocking signals, so an incoming call could come in, but someone in that post office MUST have called Tom, to let him know that Lizzie was in trouble. It was just too much of a coincidence. Or... remember when Aram showed Liz a video feed of Red and Ressler in the box,( that happened before they are captured by Anslo's men)? Some one could have been watching that video.. Diane perhaps? Or someone else. Or perhaps Tom had access to that video feed from the post office himself. We still don't know who he works for.

But I disagree with you about the importance of the scar being covered. When Tom called, Liz' hands were tied in front of her, and Anslo reaches into Liz's pocket to answer the phone. He would have easily seen the scar. If her hand had not been covered, Anslo would have seen the scar, and it might have had some meaning to him, as the scar is similar in shape to the symbol on the boxes. Some people thought that the symbol might have been something that would have protected Liz from harm, or that connected her to the Adversary, or to a criminal organization. So perhaps if Anslo had seen the scar, he might not have taken her as a hostage... or perhaps, he might have seen the scar and realized that she was very valuable.

Everything happens for a reason. If Liz cut her hand, why was it that hand, and why did she stop and waste valuable time to go and find a bandage? It's just one of those things that happened that seemed it might prove to be relevant in a later episode.

7:19 pm March 6, 2014

A.M wrote:

Just checked an answered my own question - there are pictures of Red on Tom's wall. Also Luli, and Gina Z and Mr. Gray. And of course Liz, but I don't see Sam. There's also a picture of someone I don't recognize in the bottom right corner, with pages written under the picture. I don't see Ressler, Meera or Cooper or Dembe. But they could be there and I missed them.

7:21 pm March 6, 2014

A.M. wrote:

"Anonymous" at 7:12 was me. I must have forgotten to type AM in the name box.

9:19 pm March 6, 2014

BC wrote:

A.M., in regards to the Passports, we carefully looked at the contents of the entire box in many screencaps and there were NOT 2 French passports, only 1. The other passports were of various other countries and only 1 passport per country which is why we felt at the time that it was smoking gun evidence of Tom's guilt.

Anna I agree its possible Garrick MAYBE couldve noticed Liz's scar if it wasnt wrapped and MAYBE made some connection there, but I still feel like the scar means something to Fitch's group/the Adversary but not Garrick. He said in that episode that he knew Red was always obsessed with her but never why - maybe that scar wouldve told him why, perhaps not - I just feel like Garricks a low-level guy, a typical Blacklister and not part of the real establishment/secret govt etc - hes just a thug...or should we say WAS a thug

9:39 pm March 6, 2014

A.M. wrote:

BC,

By now you should know my obsession with screen grabs:). I do my research !

Go to these pages - you will have to add http and : and // before the addresses. This site doesn't let us post links like Logan's did.

When you see them in progression, when Lizzy opened the box, there were 4 stacks of bills to the left, some loose passports to the right over some more stacks of bills. Those are the ones they show here opening and reading. (There were 5 passports I grabbed myself, I don't see all of them on this screengrab site: Ukraine, Poland, Switzerland, France and Germany.) In the 3rd picture I'm linking to, you can see 2 in her hands as she's about to open 1, and at least 2 lying there, the red one is Switzerland. The last picture is once she removed those passports, there is a gun, and under the gun is a bunch or more passports tied with a rubber band, the US passport on top. That means there are a whole bunch of passports that we didn't see her open. Which could have had in it a 2nd French passport. We don't know for sure.

oops, I got my directions backwards. Stacks of bills to the right, loose passports to the left. You'll figure it out when you go to the page. Sorry for the confusion!

12:47 am March 7, 2014

Charmed wrote:

Remember we discussed Tom being the guy on the motorcycle, the same night he made the call to Liz on the first Anslo Garrick episode. Still possible. Madeline Pratt's last name started out as "Pope". I imagine they did have to do a ton of rewrites on the Katana, as you said, some characters had not been introduced yet.

I saw pictures of Red and Dembe sitting in a beautiful, ornate theater. One picture showed a picture of an attractive young woman wearing a costume (ballerina possibly) standing next to Red. He does have class and culture you know. Maybe Dembe will get to say a few lines in the episode.

I am glad to see all the comments keep flowing. Night...

8:03 am March 7, 2014

Fergy wrote:

Now that we know Tom is a bad guy I think that Tom lied to Liz in the General Ludd episode about Sam being in surgery because he intended to kill him once he got to the hospital. I always thought it was strange but didn't get much reaction from anyone when I brought that up. Tom called Liz, he was packing a suitcase, he told her that her father was worse off than originally thought. Liz said she was going to call him and Tom said "No you can't, he is in surgery". When they showed Sam with Red he hadn't had surgery and was told he only had 6 weeks to live. They don't do surgery on someone that only has 6 weeks to live and the cancer has spread through their whole body. Also when Sam called Liz the first thing she said was Tom said you were in surgery and he got a strange look on his face. Tom also told Liz on the phone that he had a plane ticket to Nebraska to see Sam but never asked if she wanted to go too.

Tom obviously knew the same thing that Red knew, if Sam was drugged up or had contact with Liz knowing that he was going to die he would have told her the truth about who she is and how he came to adopt her. So I believe he was instructed to go kill Sam, even more so now that we know for sure that he is a bad guy.

8:21 am March 7, 2014

CAF wrote:

It seems to me that these people have hijacked the site. I see a pattern where they only engage with their friends from the other site or if you 100% agree with their posts. Some of their theories are really out there and the posts are so long and so frequent that you can't read them all. Maybe that is why the owner of the other site shut it down? Hopefully WSJ will step in and limit the amount and length of the posts you can make in one day.

9:18 am March 7, 2014

SH wrote:

AM-I cannot get those pages to load.

10:00 am March 7, 2014

willow wrote:

I love the puzzle of the blacklist and have scoured the internet for chats or blogs. I don't often post (rarely actually) but I personally love this blog and all the theories. This blog has been much more active over the last week and I think that's great!! Compared to episode 14 where there were 57 posts, episode 13 with 103 posts, episode 12 with 59 posts. So far we are at (almost 200) I love the activity personally.

I say welcome aboard to new posters. Keep going...it gives me different ideas to think about

Just my two cents

10:24 am March 7, 2014

Fergy wrote:

Here is some more fruit for thought....Red traded information to Wujing for the VICAP record number for Lucy Brooks, later he helped the task force with a case that he had no interest in, in exchange for access to the VICAP system. When he looked up Lucy Brooks in the VICAP system, the look on his face was anger, hurt or disgust, not sure which, maybe all three. He curled his lip up. Then we see her obituary and the Red obtains the Alchemist list of clients. This last episode he states that she faked her death to elude him. Which means that she was in the VICAP system as a victim not a perpetrator. In the Madeline Pratt episode he talks about the night his family disappeared and all there was is blood, nothing but blood.

Could it be that his house was staged to look like his family was killed but in reality Lucy Brooks, now Jolene is his daughter that was raised by criminals and trained to be a criminal? Maybe he found out she was alive and has been tracking her for years then found out she was dead, verified it in the VICAP system and then verified that she faked her death with the Alchemist list. Maybe he has been trying to connect with her to hopefully turn her life around. Red could have taken Liz from the person responsible for his daughters abduction and is now using her to settle the score. Just like Zumani did in the pilot. The judge episode emphasized "An Eye for an Eye". Sam may have encouraged Liz to go into law enforcement and set her sights on the FBI to further the end game. Or maybe he had her hypnotized to steer her in that direction. The Blacklist may just be a culmination of years of planning. Hmmm?

11:14 am March 7, 2014

ziji wrote:

Fergy, a good idea that Lucy may in fact be red's daughter. An interesting spin. I'd be for that. But if red is just using Liz to settle a score - or using her for actually any reason - I'd be really disappointed.

I really can get on board with Jolene being his daughter though.

11:29 am March 7, 2014

Montie wrote:

Hey CAF - if you are feeling left out, I will write directly to you. If you don't like the content and long length of posts by our group of Blacklist super-fans, then don't read them! Simple as that. We really enjoy sharing our theories and observations about the show. Why does it bother you?

11:44 am March 7, 2014

Anna wrote:

Thank you, Willow. Most of the “new” posters that you see popping up here, are not really new at all. Some of us started to follow this site or comment here last October, or started from episode three when Jason starting doing his recaps (I think that it was episode three, WuJing.) We left in early December, right after the Anslo Garrick episodes, on a extended vacation you might say. Let's just say we didn't want to be part of the Facebook community.

So to most of us, this is like coming home, after unexpectedly losing our lease on our new apartment. We're just posters, just like all of you... it's just that we may not be shy when an idea comes to mind, and we're all so familiar with all the episodes and with each other, that sometimes we get carried away. We do not ignore other posters or just reply to each other. I'm sorry if it may appear that way, initially. I think we are just happy and relieved to be able to find each other again after our site went down.

If anything, we are excited to read new and refreshing theories and ideas that the posters here have been talking about. And one thing we ALL have in common, whether you are a new or an old poster, is that we all love the Blacklist, and can't get enough of it.

Thanks to those that have welcomed us back, and have been so understanding.

12:25 pm March 7, 2014

Redravenous wrote:

CAF, you may find that those that are annoying you now will provide the stimulation you are looking for over the next week when there is a break from new episodes. The theories being bantered around and the attention to details by many of the loyal and imaginative posters that made this and Logan's site interesting throughout this first season, for me, makes the series far more entertaining. Keeps my mind active too! Just relax and enjoy.... Who needs or wants more rules?

12:33 pm March 7, 2014

BC wrote:

Well said Anna - I am not meaning to exclusive, just to continue ideas/theories we've already discussed at length in the other blog though we all did start here on the WSJ site as comments from those prior episode's blogs will show. As such, I've been a little long-winded in my posts to include relevant backstory for those that are not familiar with our theories etc but then again, when am I not long-winded?

I will reply to any poster and like all the new ones that have sprouted up here after we left as it provides more food for thought - the idea that Tom called Liz just before Garrick was going to shoot her came not from me but someone new here. I just was excited to see my old cracklist posters here to continue our conversations from the other site that got taken offline suddenly, which also btw was originally started by a poster here.

1:54 pm March 7, 2014

ziji wrote:

I found a site that says Fitch (Alan Alda) is in 2 episodes - so far he's been in 1
And Jolene is in 5 episodes. How many has she been in so far?
Sadly, Mr Kaplan is only in 2 - so she doesn't have anymore left

Tom, Liz and Red are in all 22

And there is no mention of Craig Keene or Walter Eddington

2:02 pm March 7, 2014

SH wrote:

I just found this site so I enjoy it. Thanks. It's great to be able to bounce ideas and theories off each other.
I read one theory from someone that Liz and Jolene might be sisters. Is that an old theory? Any thoughts?

2:17 pm March 7, 2014

ziji wrote:

So yes, it looks like Liz goes to Tom's older brother for answers. That explains who Craig Keene is. But I can't figure out who Walter reddington is.

2:23 pm March 7, 2014

Charmed wrote:

Ziji, Luckily that site will update characters as needed and they don't always update with new characters (such as Craig Keen or Walter Reddington) this far ahead. Jolene has been in three episodes, starting with the Cyprus Agency. Maybe the next two will give us the answers we've been wanting, then again they may give her more episodes, but are unsure and don't want to spoil anything for us (letting us think Tom kills her).

As for Mr. Kaplan, she will be around when Red becomes p.o.'d and needs her. I want to know more about this Lady.

2:56 pm March 7, 2014

duygu wrote:

it is unbelievable !!!! They showed Turkey, istanbul but nothing on the scene is real !! How the producers can be able to show us unreal thing, they do not know anything about Turkey, they must first of all search the county, these kind of wrong informations are such a shame, i never watch Blacklist again also Turkey is a democtatic repuclic, we do not use scarfs!!!!

3:31 pm March 7, 2014

Charmed wrote:

CAF, Some of us (new or prior posters) became much like a family or friends. Some of us don't have anyone to discuss the Blacklist with for a host of reasons. We actually interacted; adding to each other's posts, relating the full verbiage of scenes, previews, etc. (especially helpful to those in other countries). We responded with thanks, encouragement and subtle digs sometimes, along with posting sites we thought others would be interested in. We did research. We laughed out loud a lot!

Comments on this site have been rare within a week of the show. Hopefully having a top, active blog will help Jason E to have Jon Bokenkamp shed some new light on the Blacklist for all of us.

Earlier comments to you have been accurate, but I want to give a shout out to our Canadian friend REDRAVENOUS, for his comment. Sorry my reply is so long, CAF. Thanks for reading this.

3:35 pm March 7, 2014

Anna wrote:

Regarding the scene when Red arrives to meet with the Judge in the barn. Ressler tells the FBI tactical team to get their men out of there, to fall back right before Red arrives. Someone with “high level” access was in route. It seems that now Red's identity must be protected at all cost. Even from the FBI tactical teams?

Red has always met Lizzie out in the open, very publicly, with no attempt to conceal his identity. At the conclusion of Frederick Barnes for example, after Liz shoots the man, Red is waiting outside for Liz. The police, the Coroner, EMTs and the FBI were all milling around outside that house, and could have seen Red. The same thing happened in the Stewmaker. There were lots of FBI agents there as an ambulance takes Liz away. Come to think of it... he was very much out in the open in the pilot when Liz rescues the general's daughter at a Washington Museum. Red always put his hands behind his head to surrender in early episodes. That does tend to draw a lot of attention!

But now he is secretly ushered to the barn in Pennsylvania where the Judge is holding Cooper, and even the tactical guys are told to pull back. Is this something new that the writers have introduced into the show? That since the incursion, Red is a very valuable asset, and his identity must be protected? I guess he and Lizzie will not be meeting out in broad daylight in a park anymore.

3:41 pm March 7, 2014

Anna wrote:

Also, I was mesmerized when Red walked into the barn, removed his hat, and took that long slow stroll in the dimly lit barn until he faced the Judge, and sat down, exactly at the same time as she did. It was all quite dramatic. Did anyone else get a little bit of a “Godfather” feel to that scene? Red was this very important man coming to see the Judge, and he was bringing her very important information that she should consider very carefully. I thought it showed Red has powerful influence in a totally different way... and it may hint about what his true motives are: doing the right thing, and finding out the truth.

5:23 pm March 7, 2014

Redravenous wrote:

Charmed, thanks for the shout out..... Charming as always.

Anna, maybe because as Red said, they are at war now and he needs to keep a lower profile, especially since Diane fowler has gone missing. I thought the barn scene was profound in the same way you described. An earlier post wondered what Red meant with his comment that the judge was a woman. I took it as a positive comment, as women tend to need and pursue fairness, while men are often more accepting of life's injustices. Red has experience, wisdom and a commanding personality..... the attributes of godfather.

Duygu, it is so unfortunate that you are insulted by what was represented about Turkey. We have often posted about inaccuracies in the show, and I can certainly understand how you feel if your country is misrepresented. Hopefully the writers read blogs to get feedback such as yours and take it into account for future episodes.

Fergy, I was so happy to see you here and read all your posts. When Red said all there was was blood, nothing but blood, I took that to mean there wasn't anyone there for him to save, not even Liz or Lucy. Your staging theory makes sense. Red is looking for answers, clearly finding the Stewmaster's photo book gave him some conclusion about someone(?). We know that Red offers up Blacklisters that can provide him with clues or leverage toward finding the information he is seeking. When he told the PI in the hat that she faked her death to elude him, he sounded like a father annoyed with a runaway daughter. I still think there is more to Audrey as well, and why he took such pains to save Ressler. Parents who have missing / abducted children say it is far harder to move on and find closure. Children abducted by one parent are often brainwashed to believe the other parent is the bad guy, when in fact the opposite may be true. Red seems to be struggling with those issues in his life, so his look of anger, hurt or disgust could be all of those emotions.

Willow, thank you.

5:32 pm March 7, 2014

Fluffy wrote:

Hi, CAF. One of the great advantages of a very active blog is that it helps tremendously to get through the multi-week gaps between some episodes. Remember when we had to wait five weeks? Then the Olympics? Soon it will be for the summer? ::eek:: All of these people, topics and ideas keep the Blacklist world alive during these absences. That way when we get started again the subject is still fresh in our minds and we are ready to go, instead of feeling like we are starting off behind and having to catch up.

Everyone here is a part of a group of equals. I would hope to see your comments and ideas here, too, along with everyone else. I find the Blacklist to be a fun and through-provoking release in a crazy world and I look forward to reading it every day.

Fluff

5:51 pm March 7, 2014

Redravenous wrote:

SH, we have long talked about Liz, Lucy / Jolene and even Audrey being sisters. Partly due to their resemblance but also Red's interest in them. Many of believe that Red's family may have included more than a wife and one daughter. The writers keep us guessing. In the scene with Madelaine, Red seems again to be focused on one daughter, as with his memory when he was at his house.

Ziji tells us there is a Walter Reddington, could this be a son? Again, this is another reason why I love blogging with you all, I always learn new things. Can't wait to find out who Walter is!

6:26 pm March 7, 2014

Anna wrote:

Fergy, You know you may be right about Lucy/Jolene. Red seems to have gone above and beyond a normal search for this girl, and I hate to use the phrase “She must be important to him,” because that's what we always say about Liz. But what Redravenous said rings true. That if she is his daughter and she was taken from him when she was very young, he would never give up trying to find her.

The terrible look of disgust that we see on Red's face when he is looking at the picture of Lucy on Vicap, might have been to fool us. That is what always seems to stand in the way of thinking that Lucy may be his daughter. And this show has clearly used misleading scenes, dialogue and misdirection many times to throw us off the right path.

Lucy Brooks may very well be Red's daughter. The next question is... if Red knows.... does Lucy know too?

7:25 pm March 7, 2014

ziji wrote:

Do you guts remember that in "Fredrick Barnes" Red says that he "raised my family" in the house he blows up. He doesn't say "my child" etc. that implies more than one child.

7:31 pm March 7, 2014

A.M. wrote:

I'm leaning towards none of the women (Liz, Jolene or Audrey) being Red's daughters. But I do think that Jolene and Audrey work for the same group, and that Ressler was Audrey's target when he was on the hunt for Red a few years back. Now that he's back working with Red, so is Audrey. I wonder if it's just a coincidence that Jolene and Audrey look alike or if down the line we'll find out they are sisters?

7:38 pm March 7, 2014

Chompstick wrote:

I know this is coming out of left field......
I think one of the most intriguing things currently left unanswered is the matching, very rare blood types of Red and Ressler. Does anyone have a theory?

7:55 pm March 7, 2014

Anna wrote:

Ziji, you are absolutely right, Red says that house was where he raised a family. That certainly does imply more than one child. The parable of the farmer that Red relates to the Stewmaker also implies more than one child.

“A farmer comes home one day and finds that everything that gives meaning to his life is gone. Crops are burned, animals slaughtered, bodies in broken pieces of his life strewn about. Everything he loved, taken from him, his children...”

It does occur to me that the reason Red only mentions his daughter in the story that he tells Madeline, may be because she is the one that is still missing, and he remembers her playing in the yard because those are his last memories of her. Perhaps he had a son who survived the attack... and Red knows where the son is, and has watched him grow up. Or Maybe he gave his son to someone like Sam to raise as well, and the son does not know who is father is.

Oh Chompstick, you just found the son I was talking about.... Ressler!

8:16 pm March 7, 2014

ziji wrote:

Oh my god! Could you imagine ressler being his son?? Oh my god! What a spin.

And you almost have me....BUT! ....when Liz had a gun to her head when red and ressler were locked in the glass box, Red turned the gun on ressler to make him open the door.

Does a father do that?

8:19 pm March 7, 2014

Anna wrote:

A.M. Didn't you find it interesting that Red asked Ressler about Audrey when they were in the box together? Red doesn't need to ask any questions, he already has all the answers. I think Red placed Audrey with Ressler years ago so that RED could stay one step ahead of Ressler when he was in charge of that special mission to track Red down. Perhaps Red had something to do with bringing Audrey back, because he felt sorry for Ressler, or because Ressler is very important to Red as well. The rare blood type they share must have some meaning. As far fetched as it sounds, if Ressler IS Red's son, maybe Red is afraid that the coming "war" may place him in danger, and Audrey is there to keep an eye on him??

I'm envisioning it now... Cooper pullls his task force together and says with urgency ... "I've done DNA tests on everyone within a 100 mile radius and Raymond Reddington has 20 children we didn't know about ! Why wasn't this in his background check??"

8:22 pm March 7, 2014

Kesey wrote:

Watch Part 1 of Anslo Garrick again. Notice the light the episode is shot under. The director uses harsh—almost yellow light to highlight the similar physical characteristics that Reddington and Ressler have in common: fair skin, reddish-blond eyebrows, eye color. As Reddington makes that riveting speech telling Ressler that he thinks they’ll make it out alive because he won’t let guys like Garrick get the best of him, the camera cuts back and forth between the two men, pulling in closer and closer with each shot — making their physical similarities apparent. It ends with Reddington telling Donald that what he wants most is to sleep like he did when he was a boy. The last image of Ressler is shot from directly above and pulled in tight —so that Ressler is intentionally made to look like that boy Reddington remembers. (Guess it’s just coincidence that Reddington and Ressler share the same rare blood type.) Just seems like the writers went to an awful lot trouble and chewed up a lot of valuable screen time to give us the most detailed and intimate (and I’d even say “sincere” on Red’s part) scene we’ve been treated to yet. And it wasn’t between Reddington and Lizzie. Reddington tells Ressler he knows a lot about him. Bet Red doesn’t know as much about Donald as he thinks he does.

Also, great trouble is taken to depict, in very graphic terms, Reddington sharing his blood (through a field transfusion) with Ressler. Could read a lot of symbolism into that.

The dialogue the actors are given is precise in its choice. Ressler talks about chasing Reddington for five years “trying to make his name.” Interesting way of putting it — don’t you think? Could mean he simply wants career recognition within the FBI — or could be there’s something about Ressler that makes him feel he needs to “earn the right to his name.

9:30 pm March 7, 2014

Fergy wrote:

Redravenous....I am so glad that you are here too. It looks like everyone found their way back to WSJ. So nice that we can continue our conversation here on this blog.

Ziji, I hope I am wrong about Red using Liz to settle the score with his Adversary too. I would be disappointed as well.

It does puzzle me regarding what Red's relationship to Lucy is though. As everyone else mentioned before Red did specifically say to Luli "This is the house that I raised my family in". Family does imply multiple children otherwise most people say wife and daughter. But his flashback was only to a little girl and his story to Madeline refers to a little girl only and if it was true, he loved her with every ounce of his being. I wonder if there were other children why did he dote over the little girl? Like everyone else it is so obvious that he never speaks of his wife either. I guess someday we will know all the specifics of Red's family but until then we will definitely wonder. If Jolene is the little girl that he lost over 20 years ago that must be hell for him.

CAF, if we all commented on everyone's post, we would all have lengthy posts. Don't be so sensitive and join the conversation.

10:14 pm March 7, 2014

Fluffy wrote:

Kesey, great insight on the graphics and filming of the Ressler/Red scenes. In envy your sense of observation and am grateful for your sharing it with everyone.

12:06 am March 8, 2014

Charmed wrote:

~ziji, It was a very telling scene you mentioned between Red and Donald. They had already had a teaching moment when Red told Donald about the man's life he had saved. Then the man came after Red and Red had to kill him (something along those lines). When Cooper refused to give up the code, Red woke Donald and asked while aiming his gun. He told Donald to "look at her", Liz shook her head and Donald said the code "Romeo". By that time they had both reached a painful understanding of the situation.

~Kesey, I read your comments with great interest. I could "see" the scenes again. Please share your reasoning for saying "Bet Red doesn't know as much about Donald as he thinks he does". I look forward to more of your posts.

~Everyone One Else,I just wanted to say that I sometimes try to answer more than one poster, because when I was brand new, it wasn't a good feeling to comment, ask or answer with no feedback given. But I was helped by more than one generous soul, (and especially one) by going out of their way to not make me feel dull or dumb. Y'all know who you are. Thanks!

6:34 am March 8, 2014

Anna wrote:

Fantastic post, Kesey. You certainly picked up on a lot of things I didn't even notice. It's possible Ressler is Red's son... on the Blacklist, anything is possible. Maybe that episode was meant to plant the seeds, just so we have that possibility in the back of our minds. The rare blood type seems to be the most convincing coincidence. I would think that the bond they formed after their ordeal in the box would be evident in subsequent episodes, especially in their first scene together after Red's return. It would have been an excellent opportunity to bring the two characters closer, not be so adversarial, and for Ressler to actually thank Red for saving his life.

The only snafu is ziji's point that Red pointed the gun at Ressler to demand he give him the code to open the box. Saving Liz's life was Red's top priority, Donald became secondary the moment Lizzie walked into view.. Also, I've always believed that Ressler gave up the code to save Liz, not himself. It did not really matter that Red was aiming the gun at him, Ressler would have given up the code anyway, to save Liz's life.

It does seem that the writers like to do this. Plant a seed, wait a few episodes, sprinkle with a few more clues, then finally after another episode or two, the reveal comes to life. Like Tom, for example. He has been silent for so many episodes, and we've watched and waited, nothing happened. But now finally, Jolene arrives and he has come to life.

Perhaps Ressler's time is coming.

8:47 am March 8, 2014

SH wrote:

Kesey-I have tried finding the Anslo episodes for free on sites and cannot find them anymore. Please let me know where I can go. It seems you can only go back about 5 episodes. Thanks

9:14 am March 8, 2014

Fergy wrote:

SH, I believe you can buy them online through Amazon, it is only $1.99. My DVR had been set to only save 5 episodes and I didn't realize it until 3 had been overwritten. So I went to Amazon and downloaded them for $1.99 each.

9:27 am March 8, 2014

Fergy wrote:

Anna, I thought of that too about Ressler giving up the code to save Liz not to save himself. I think she has proven herself to him and he does seem to care about her. That was evidenced in the Madeline Pratt episode when she told Ressler that she thought Tom was going to leave her. He was suppose to go have dinner with Audrey but stayed to talk to Liz instead.

As for Audrey I think Red called her, not the department, and informed her that Ressler had been shot and was in the hospital. I think he did that because he felt bad that Ressler sacrificed his engagement because he was obsessed with finding Red and Red wanted to make that right. I can't get into the her being a plant theory just yet. Maybe I am just too much of a romantic and not cynical enough yet to go there.

Someone mentioned this earlier but I wanted to touch on it again. I wonder if Tom was put in a hypnotic state of some sort. When Jolene said "Wrong Answer" with such authority Tom was still in character as Teacher Tom, but when she said "Elizabeth Keen is not your wife she is your Target", his whole demeanor changed. Then without any proof of who this woman was or how she was connected to his mission he turned into Badass Tom. It might have just been theatrics on the part of the writers but he has spent 2 years carefully covering his tracks why would he talk so openly about it to someone that just mentioned a certain phrase?

11:23 am March 8, 2014

BC wrote:

Fergy I'm not sure he was hypnotized where that was the trigger but I did also find it weird for the exact reasons you mention - what if Jolene was merely an FBI plant and once she said that line, he instantly revealed his true role to her - he would've been so busted over a trap! Of course him merely SAYING it still wouldn't give them evidence of anything as he has already been 'cleared' by them and they have no actual proof he's done anything bad etc.BUT if they captured it on tape, it could be convincing evidence to prove to Liz her husband's a bad guy. All that said, if he really was/is a bad guy (like we now know) then it was only a matter of time before she'd figure it out the hard way

2:20 pm March 8, 2014

Jerry wrote:

The artist was Dolly Parton.

3:11 pm March 8, 2014

A.M. wrote:

Fergy, the first time I watched Anslo Garrick I thought Red called Audrey too to make it up to Donald. But on rethinking it, Red was on the run, the only call he made was to Lizzy from that phone booth. He didn't even call Dembe. So I don't think he stopped to hunt down Audrey and then call her for an agent who tried to kill him years before. I think Ressler is important to Red but I don't think he went out of his way to send Audrey to him. I do agree the FBI didn't send her, which is why I think that she works for one of the groups monitoring Red - either Fitch or the Adversary, if they're not the same group. I guess I'm more cynical than you but I don't see this is as true love romance deal, the writers have made me too jaded on relationships in this series, none of them so far have proven to be real .

4:04 pm March 8, 2014

Fergy wrote:

A.M. LOL! Very True about the writers and romances.

4:42 pm March 8, 2014

Redravenous wrote:

Anna, you made me laugh out loud with your comment about Cooper doing DNA tests and Red having 20 children. Especially as we are up to 4 characters that we think may be offspring of Red's. Too funny!

Kesey, I also noticed in the hallway on the way to the cage, when Red tells Ressler that Anslo is only after him so he should save himself, Ressler says no way before being shot. In that scene they are up close to one another and that was when I first noticed the resemblance. Later, I noticed the blond eyelashes and other. Facial similarities. The scene you described of Ressler from above, he had a tear run down the side of his face. He did look like a vulnerable boy and was obviously touched by Red's words. I am also interested to hear more about what Red might not know about Ressler.

Anna, although not a thank you to Red, Ressler did refuse in the post interrogation to reveal what they talked
about in the cage.

Red was not going to take Ressler's life to save Liz's. He had just done everything possible to save him and Ressler knew that. Donald is acting big brotherish to Liz, offering to rough up Tom, staying with her and standing up Audrey.

We know Red told Liz he was going to help her career. Maybe he was instrumental in it being Ressler that was assigned to hunt him. During the chase of cat and mouse, maybe Red did many things to help Ressler become a better agent, and to ensure that Ressler would be part of the Blacklist task force. And if so, it makes sense that Audrey may be working for Red.

Charmed, the way you described being a new poster was exactly how I felt my first time, episode three here at this site.

Fergy, we are still missing Logan ..... Hope she knows that no matter what, we miss her.

4:55 pm March 8, 2014

Redravenous wrote:

Cee Cee, you said " we now know Tom is a sadist". How is it that we know that? As some of the others know, in other countries we don't get to see the previews for next episodes.

I loved your "off with his head" comment and The C.O.T.'s of serving his head with an apple in his mouth on a silver platter. If he works for Fitch they could serve it to him for breakfast, the morning he wakes up to find DianeFowler's head in bed with him . Double whammy, that would send a message in this "war" as to who is in control.

6:06 pm March 8, 2014

Anonymous wrote:

Redravenous, thanks for your attention, these kind of mispresenting are important because i am one of the fans of Blacklist and beleive in that if writers know little information about the countries ( at least google presents how county Turkey is ) that chosen as a place at Blacklist, they dont have chance to reflect wrong way that scene. After that situation i gave up to watch unless i love it .

6:06 pm March 8, 2014

duygu wrote:

Redravenous, thanks for your attention, these kind of mispresenting are important because i am one of the fans of Blacklist and beleive in that if writers know little information about the countries ( at least google presents how county Turkey is ) that chosen as a place at Blacklist, they dont have chance to reflect wrong way that scene. After that situation i gave up to watch unless i love it

6:21 pm March 8, 2014

Manny wrote:

duygu and Anonymous...same person

9:17 pm March 8, 2014

CES2 wrote:

I have been away for 2 days, still trying to read through the posts I missed.

Regarding Ressler , his blood type, his colouring similar to Red, his failed attempt to kill Red in Brussels when according to Anslo "all he had to do was provide the bullet"-

What if he is the son of Red's brother? ( Could Walter Reddington be Red's brother?) Ressler changed his name , spend 5 years hunting Reddington as an FBI agent but also driven by personal reasons- but when it came to the crunch he lost his nerve and the bullet missed .

10:49 pm March 8, 2014

Chompstick wrote:

Anna, I like your ideas about Ressler, Red, and Audrey, per your post yesterday at 8:19 pm. And Kesey, your observations are awesome. I think Ressler has to be Red's son. Of course, Liz can't be his daughter then, because Liz and Ressler have to hook up, right? I also think it's plausible that Red pointed the gun at Ressler in the box, even if he is his son. Red may never have intended to shoot him; from all of his experience Red could probably accurately guess that Ressler would give up the code.

11:52 pm March 8, 2014

Fluffy wrote:

What have we been told about Ressler's family? With the introduction of Walter Reddington we are looking at an entirely new universe of possible aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. What if Ressler and Liz are brother and sister, Red's nephew and niece? That could explain both Red's paternal feelings for Liz and familial blood type with Ressler. When I see Ressler and Liz together I've always though of him as more of a big brother type than potential lover.

9:50 am March 9, 2014

ziji wrote:

From the beginning, one of the elements I've enjoyed about this blog Is the free exchange of ideas and respectful natrue of the posters. Some of US post often, some of US don't, some of US are short some of US are longer...but the tone facilitates an open discussion and even disagreement at times.

So on that note, I wanted to check in with CAF and see what your thoughts were after a few days of discussion of your initial opinion 're people hijacking the site.

12:01 pm March 9, 2014

Fergy wrote:

Can't WAIT!!! 8 more sleeps! It is hard enough waiting one week to see the show but all these interruptions are making me crazy.

I guess the alternative would be to have them run all 22 weeks in a row and then have to wait 30 weeks to see them again. Like the networks used to. I remember in the 70's everyone waiting anxiously for Dallas to come on each week and then ending every season with a cliff hanger that kept people talking about the show all summer. LOL! This is the first show since then that I have been this crazy over. Even when they have a not so exciting episode, the following week they seem to knock our socks off.

12:04 pm March 9, 2014

Anna wrote:

Chompstick, I think you bring up another great point, that Red KNEW Ressler would give him the code to save Liz's life Red has always shown us that he understands people, he figures out their true motives and reasoning. He especially seems to understand why people commit the particular crimes that they do. All those years living among criminals has given him such valuable insight. It goes beyond his association with some of the people on the Blacklist. He didn't know the identity of several of them so far (stew maker, the judge) but still understood their motivation. In every single episode, he gives Liz hints on how to solve the crime and how to apprehend the Blacklister. He practically hands them over to her gift wrapped with a bow. Red would have been an excellent profiler himself, or a psychologist, in addition to having a military career.

Again, in this last episode, Red offers his expertise. He shows the Judge great respect, and sympathizes with her cause. He knows just what to say to convince her to give up. (Oh... and he does that SO well.)

12:22 pm March 9, 2014

Chompstick wrote:

The addition of Walter Reddington and Tom's brother could throw a wrench in every theory we have. Really, the possibilities are endless. It will be fun analyzing these new variables.

12:55 pm March 9, 2014

Fergy wrote:

The Blacklist's Liz Keen will soon turn to her Tom's brother in an effort to unveil her husband's true identity.

Prepare To See Tom Keen 'Like You've Never Seen Before,' Who Is Ryan Eggold's Character Working For On 'Th Blacklist'?

The mystery surrounding the seemingly innocuous Tom Keen (Ryan Eggold) is steadily deepening. Unbeknownst to Liz (Megan Boone), her significant other is really working for some unknown entity as he keeps tabs on his "target" (also known as his wife).

Liz will not be in the dark for long, however, and E! promises that the FBI profiler will find out Tommy Boy's dirty secrets "sooner rather than later."

At some point, Liz's investigation will lead her to Tom's so-called "older brother," who TV Guide reports shockingly (surprise, surprise) isn't on the level either. While Tom doesn't appear to know who Jolene/Lucy Brooks (Rachel Brosnanhan) is, there is a distinct possibility that his "sibling" will.

Looks like viewers can add one more revelation to the ever-growing list of reasons why Red (James Spader) has been adamantly insisting that Liz be wary of her alleged husband.

As for Liz, she may not handle the "spectacular" Tom/Jolene/Lucy Brooks/Red fallout particularly well.

2:17 pm March 9, 2014

Anna wrote:

It will be interesting to meet Walter Reddington but I hope that it does not take away any of Red's mystique. If he does end up being Red's brother,(I think you're right CES2), I hope he doesn't show up merely to scold Red for soiling the family name, etc. That is unfortunately what just happened when Red met his former roommate, Richard Abraham. The events of Red's past have transformed him into the man he is today, capable of violence perhaps, but still seeming to value justice. Imho, Red is basically a good man, who has a very good reason for everything he has done, and it is frustrating to see him be persecuted by those who may not know the “truth.”

I'm not sure I want to be introduced to any relatives that take away any of the mystery that surrounds Red, because that is one of the characteristics that make him so attractive. (Ahem. One of many.)

However, if Mr. Walter Reddington comes out of the woodwork and sheds any light on Ressler's possible relation to Red, or Liz's true origins.... THAT would be priceless.

3:29 pm March 9, 2014

Chompstick wrote:

My guess is that the Ressler mystery won't be solved until next season. They have to leave us hanging with some good questions.

4:00 pm March 9, 2014

Charmed wrote:

Chompstick, your guess is good as any regarding the Ressler mystery. We are already HANGING with good questions, so many good questions.

7:23 pm March 9, 2014

ziji wrote:

I agree w chompstick. I think a family tie between ressler and Red would be a pretty big storyline and i think we only have 7 episodes left. I read somewhere that they have a file on "loose ends" -some big, some small - but that would be a pretty big loose end.

Although a lot can happen in seven episodes, I think they have their hands full with Liz/Tom/Red stuff.

Tom's brother is apparently in jail somewhere and he is not a great guy either The fallout of this will take the back end of the season. Will it be too much to address the ressler issue??

9:22 pm March 9, 2014

Mr. Smith wrote:

Wow! There is much to read on this blog! First time poster, so please excuse me if I say or ask something that someone else has said/asked. I think it is intriguing how Red offers up a Blacklister that somehow plays into the overall plot or at least what I think the plot is at the time. One question that I had was, do you think Tom knew Lucy/Jolene before she faked her death? Maybe she had some work done by the Andrew Dice Clay character after the alchemist helped her fake her death. Maybe Tom didn't recognize her. Just a thought.

9:30 pm March 9, 2014

ziji wrote:

Hey mr smith

Welcome! Yes, there is a lot to read. And it's only one week after an episode

My understanding is that tom had only met Lucy/joleen recently I could be completely wrong but that's my understanding

9:49 pm March 9, 2014

Redravenous wrote:

Welcome Mr. Smith! To me, it makes sense that clients of the Alchemist would change their identity when someone else, with their identity, is killed to fake their death. It would only take one person to see them alive, and it is a small world, and their ruse would be over. Putting forward that idea with an identity change for Lucy/Jolene just makes good sense and may explain the look on Red's face when he sees her file. Could he be disgusted that she had her face changed? Changed to resemble Liz perhaps.

BTW, never worry about asking or saying something that has already been discussed. We have pondered the same questions, and discussed details from various angles over and over again.

10:37 pm March 9, 2014

Kesey wrote:

I’m fascinated by some of the language choices the writers are making. Three times in recent episodes, different characters, for different reasons, describe what Reddington does as being “a job.”

In episode 14, Madeline Pratt, angry that Reddington didn’t meet her in Florence, says, “Florence was everything — our way out — a fresh start. But to you, it’s all just ‘a job.’” —Way out of what by the way?

In episode 15, while Reddington and the cowboy are in the car discussing Jolene, the cowboy, annoyed by Red’s banter, says, “Do I tell you how to do ‘your job’? No I don’t. So don’t tell me how to do mine.”

In episode 9, while trapped in the DARPA box with Ressler, Reddington himself tells Donald a story about how he saved a man’s life under a beautiful tree in Lebanon. A month later that same man tried to kill Red in a hotel room in Damascus. Red told Donald that he understood the man’s actions — because “allegiances shift.” Reddington ends the story with, “It’s ‘this job’ today, another one tomorrow.”

11:09 pm March 9, 2014

Fergy wrote:

1. Why does Reddington need Elizabeth Keen, exactly? He says that he chose her because of her father, but what specifically does he want from her? What can Lizzie give him that another fresh-faced FBI profiler can’t?
2. What is Red’s end game? He’s prepared to barter his list to work with the FBI to achieve something, something that could also jeopardize his deal with the mysterious people he made a deal with decades ago. He tells Mr. Fitch that his reasons are “personal,” but what is the source of his motivation?
3. Is Red Lizzie’s father? Lizzie outright asks him the question in “Anslo Garrick: Part 2,” to which he (after a long pause) flat-out denies it with a “No”. Thing is, he is telling the truth, or lying to protect her, or himself?
4. The truth about Red’s family? Lizzie claims Red abandoned his family in 1990. However, FBI Dir. Diane Fowler claims to know what really happened to Red’s family on “that night” and asks whether he wants to know “the truth”. Red does, “more than anything in the world,” but kills her for being the mole and because “if you know what happened, then somebody else does too.” All of which suggests there’s much more to the story of Red ‘abandoning’ his family than initially meets the eye. It seems they may have been taken from him in some shape or form, and he doesn’t know exactly what happened. But what did happen to them?

5. Lizzie’s scar? The intrepid profiler has a scar on her right hand running down her wrist. It’s later revealed that Lizzie was in a fire when she was a girl. Upon seeing her old stuffed rabbit that was scorched by the fire, she looks at her scar, possibly suggesting that she received the scar in the fire. Is this the case? If not, how did she get the scar?
6. What’s the deal with the ‘Y-shaped’ pattern on Tom’s spy box resembling Lizzie’s scar? Is there a connection between the pattern and Lizzie’s scar, or is it just a coincidence?
7. Who killed Victor at Angel Station? Liz traces Tom’s gun to a top-secret file marked Angel Station, June 23, 2012. When she accidentally allows him to see the date, Tom reminds her this was when they spent the weekend in Boston for his “job interview”. However, the un-redacted case file suggests that during this time Tom killed Russian defector, Victor Forkin. Tom denies everything. Corporate terrorist Gina Zanetakos admits to being hired to kill Victor because her employer didn’t want him spilling secrets that would harm his business on the Russian border. Her employer? Reddington. But wait, Red denies everything – so what actually happened? Who actually killed Victor, and at whose behest?
8. Angel Station: Part II? Does Tom have ulterior reasons for wanting to take Liz back to Angel Station?
9. Who is the Farmer? Red tells the Stewmaker/Stanley a story about a farmer who turns into a killer after his family is taken from him. Was this analogy about Stanley, or Red? If the latter, does it tie into his belief that Liz represents his second chance? Can he be redeemed?
10. Who is the mysterious young woman in the photo? Red removes a photo of a young woman from the Stewmaker’s book of victims, before handing the book over Liz. The date on her photo (December, 1990) corresponds with the year Red apparently abandoned his daughter. Who is she? Why didn’t Red want Liz to see the picture? Was she related to Red, Liz – or both?

11. Red’s Adversary? Red’s assistant, Newton Phillips, questions why Red “wasted” access to classified networks (given to him by the NSA agent) on helping Liz, when he could have instead used it to make “the world tremble” and finally find their “adversary”. Interesting! Who is Red’s mysterious adversary, and why has Red seemingly yet to identify them?
12. Who is Tom working for? The un-redacted Angel Station case implies that Tom is a “suspected US double agent” (“The Courier”). It’s later confirmed that Tom was assigned to fall in love with Liz (“The Judge”), but who does he work for?
13. What Happened In Kuwait..? What “unfortunate incident” involving Cooper happened in Kuwait that Red threatens to reveal?
14. Smoking. Gun? If Gina killed Victor as she claims, how did the gun that apparently killed Victor get into the box full of Tom-based mythology porn? If Red planted it there, as Liz comes to believe, how did he get hold of it in the first place?
15. Burn The World Down? Red tells Liz that he understands Frederick Barnes because he was willing to “burn the world down” for someone he loves. Liz thinks he’s talking about her, but Red says she’s being “presumptuous”. We later see Red ‘burn down’ his old family home after briefly reminiscing about his daughter. Question is, who is driving Red’s motivation – Liz or his daughter? (assuming they’re not one in the same)
16. 3 Years? At his old family home, the height marker for Red’s daughter appears to stop at 3 years, possibly making her 26 years old today if we factor in 1990 as the time he apparently abandoned her. What happened to Red’s daughter from the age of 3? Was this the last time Red saw her? Would this rule Liz out as being Red’s daughter given that the numbers Red was given in “Wujing” match Meghan Boone‘s birthday: 04-29-83 (making Liz 30 years old, if she’s the same age as her portrayer)? And how does Lucy Brooks factor into this equation?

17. Trying to Forget? Red buys and then blows up the house where he raised his family, because he spends every day “trying to forget what happened here.” No doubt this is tied to the mystery surrounding his wife and, perhaps especially, his daughter. Question is, what specifically happened in that house; what memories does he want to forget?
18. What Did Sam Want to Tell Lizzie? Lizzie’s adopted father wanted to tell her the truth before he died of cancer. What did he want to tell her?
19. Why Didn’t Red Want Sam to tell Lizzie the Truth? Red regretfully kills Sam, seemingly to prevent him from telling Lizzie ‘the truth,’ and possibly to protect him from a slower, more painful death. Why did Red go to such lengths protect their secret?
20. What’s the deal with the scar on Sam’s hand? Is it the same as the scar on Lizzie’s hand and Tom’s box, or the result of his cancer?

21. The Fire? Liz goes through her adopted father’s belongings and discovers a stuffed bunny rabbit with scorch marks on it. This triggers haunting memories of a fire from her childhood, which brings her to tears. What’s the significance of this event? Who started the fire? Was Liz rescued from the fire? Is this how she got the hand scar?

22. The Secret? Mr. Fitch tells Red: “we know what you have Red, and we know what will happen to it if you turn up dead,” in reference to the deal he made 20 years ago with the people Fitch represents. They’ve allowed Red to live in exchange for keeping their secret, which raises the question – what secret don’t they want Red to expose?

23. Can Audrey be trusted? Ressler’s ex-fiance turns up at the hospital after the black site invasion to check on him. It could be innocent, but might she be somehow involved with the people keeping tabs on Red and the FBI?
24. Nebraska Interview? Tom claims to have a job interview in Nebraska and flies out the next day, much to Lizzie’s chagrin. Is the “Nebraska” interview story legit?
25. Was Newton the Interviewer? Tom claimed that Red’s assistant, Newton, was his interviewer for the Boston job interview. At the time it seemed as though Tom was trying to deflect suspicion from himself onto Red (which might still be the case). But with Newton later revealed as the mole who helped Garrick capture Red on behalf of Fitch, are we to believe that Newton was indeed the interviewer? If so, would this tie Tom to Fitch, exonerate him – or neither?
26. The Governance of Mr. Fitch? Turns out Mr. Fitch is a high-ranking government official. We know the people he represents don’t want Red letting their big secret out, but how does his role as a senior member of government factor into things? It’s worth noting that Fitch tells FBI Director Diane Fowler that her “asset” (aka Red) could be a threat to national security and “the effort to eliminate him was the work of a patriot” (aka Garrick aka Fitch and his people). Bigger picture clue?

27. Does Liz have a secret criminal background we don’t know about? After agreeing to go on an undercover mission to steal an effigy, Liz dodges the question of having criminal past and later claims to have made up the story about “Omaha.” Yet she displays an array of deceptive tricks during and after the mission. Does she have a criminal past but didn’t get caught, or is she just good with her hands – perhaps linking her to Red’s story about his daughter playing the piano on that apparently fateful Christmas day?

28. Was Red’s story about losing his family true? He tells Madeline Pratt a story from 20 years ago about coming home late one Christmas day to find that his family had been slaughtered. “All I saw was blood.” He uses the tragic story to manipulate Pratt but doesn’t say whether or not any of it was true. We know that ‘lost’ his family in seemingly tragic circumstances around 1990, but like the ‘Farmer’ story, it seems this tale could be about Red himself or a riff on what really happened. We wait to find out how much of it is true.

29. Red’s Effigy Stakes? We know that he likes artifacts, but he went to a lot of trouble to acquire the effigy from the Syrian Embassy/Madeline Pratt, but it’s not explained why.
30. Why doesn’t the DC Office want Cooper looking into Diane Fowler’s disappearance? What’s their deal? Can we assume Mr. Fitch is behind the desist order delivered by Special Agent Walter Gary Martin? If so, why? To prevent Cooper confirming that Red was behind Fowler’s disappearance? To protect the group’s own interests?
31. What’s the exact nature of Red’s connection with Lucy Brooks? So far we know that she’s a spy who evaded him by faking her death, and has the same employers as Tom.

11:42 pm March 9, 2014

ziji wrote:

Wow fergy, I need some time to read your post. Maybe at work tomorrow

In the meantime, I just found this 're tom and his brother

the relationship between these two brothers is not exactly as it seems. Therefore, you really cannot rule out the possibility completely of these two not actually being related at all, and him being someone else involved in this elaborate corporate operation that has started to take over his life. He was tasked with getting close to Liz, but at the end Tom still seems like a pawn in someone else’s plan.

12:48 am March 10, 2014

A.M. wrote:

Hi Mr. Smith. Red had Lucy's obituary and the picture was the same as on VICAP, which did not list her date of death so the picture predated it, and both pictures look like she does now. So while it makes sense that the Alchemist's client will use plastic surgery, it doesn't look like Lucy/Jolene did.

12:57 am March 10, 2014

Fluffy wrote:

Holy crap, Fergy! You've been taking notes!!

I'm with you right up until the end. I am not sure that Tom and Jolene work for the same people. Jolene is newly assigned, Tom doesn't recognize her and in the previews for the next episode Tom appears to kick the snot out of her. It could just be that she is a trained operative and by observation was able to profile him better than Lizzie did. Red was able to see through him and it is possible that Jolene was, too. Of course that doesn't say much for Lizzie's profiling skills...

2:33 am March 10, 2014

Fluffy wrote:

Fergy, I would like to add a #32 to your list.

#32 Who do Gina Z and Tom both work for? The wooden box containing Gina's spy kit contained the same marking on the top that Tom's did. The same mark that (kinda) resembles the scar on the back of Lizzie's hand. Who told Gina to implicate Red if she was ever captured?

9:05 am March 10, 2014

Fergy wrote:

I guess I should have elaborated more when I posted, but I was in a hurry. This is not my list. Someone said in an earlier post that they had seen a list of all the unanswered questions. I saw this list on a website yesterday so I cut and pasted it.

Fluffy, Gina and Tom were both in Boston together, to kill Victor, her fingerprints were on the gun, she took the wrap for the murder so I assume that they do work for the same person. So if they answer #12 I think you will know who Gina works for. There was an internet photo of the top of the Gina box showing the symbol on the top of it but that did not air in the episode on American TV, someone said it did in the Australian version, which is odd that they would have 2 different episodes but possible. That is probably why the creator of this list did not add it either. He mentions the box and the scar matching but not the Gina box having the same symbol. Internet photos can be doctored so I tend to stick with what I see in the episode since that is what the writers want us to believe for now. Plus it would be very disappointing if Liz opened both boxes and wasn't alerted to the fact that they both had the same symbol. She never commented about it. I would think she would have at least commented on it being an FBI agent and all. Just my thoughts.

12:21 pm March 10, 2014

Redravenous wrote:

A.M., good point about the two pics of Lucy. I hadn't thought about that.

In Jason's recap he said he wonders if Tom actually has fallen in love with Liz? I thought about that. At first there seemed to be interest on Tom's part to take his relationship with Jolene further but at the end of this episode, he is walking away from the opportunity. If he doesn't know Jolene's alternative motives, he may have just thought twice about compromising his mission as Liz's loving husband. However, if he is falling in love with her, maybe that is the mixed signals about Tom that we are all picking up on.

To add to the list of unanswered questions:

"why is Jolene trying to seduce Tom?"

" why is Lucy trying to elude Red, but yet at the same time following and watching him?"

12:26 pm March 10, 2014

SH wrote:

Peter Scanavino is to play Tom's brother. Must be next week then if they announced it.

12:31 pm March 10, 2014

Anna wrote:

In an early interview last year, one of the producers said: "On the Blacklist, everybody is presenting themselves to be somebody that they are not." I believe it's Ressler's turn.

The next episode is supposed to showcase Ressler, so perhaps we will get some more clues about his past and how they influence the present. There must be some connection between Red and Ressler that is yet to be revealed. Could it possibly be that Red had a little fling 25 or 30 years ago (before he disappeared) with a woman who never told him that he fathered a child (evidenced by the rare blood type)? Maybe she pretended the boy was her husband's child. (Oh... “The Young and Resslerless” soap opera.), so Ressler has no idea who his real father is? (Just as Liz does not know who her real father is).

Or perhaps he was an inquisitive FBI candidate who finally uncovered the truth, that the famous traitor and concierge of crime and treason, Raymond Reddington was his biological father (infamous among federal agents, that is). So he made sure he would have a hand in hunting him down, but then could not shoot when the moment finally presented itself.

Or was Ressler Red's son who was abducted and put up for adoption? He may be the missing son, a member of the “family” mentioned in the “parable of the farmer” that was taken from Red? Ressler may have no idea who his biological father was. Or Red may have simply placed Ressler with a trusted family, much like he did with Liz, to raise Ressler as an adopted child, to keep him safe. (I've already mentioned this, I know, but I think it will end up being the most likely possibility.)

Or is Ressler the result of another Reddington family member, Walter Reddington, who had a torrid affair with Ressler's mother (don't have any idea how torrid until we see what Walter looks like) and Ressler may be Red's nephew? (Are there any other Reddingtons out there that we should know about?)

In Anslo Garrick part 1, after Ressler gets shot, he tells Red to run, to get out of there, to save himself. But Red replies, “I'm not quite done with you yet, Donald.”

Hopefully in the March 31 episode, when Walter Reddington appears, we may get that bread crumb or two that leads back to Red.

1:56 pm March 10, 2014

Margaret wrote:

I posted a few days ago about Tom calling at the same time Liz was about to be killed. I only recently discovered this website about the Blacklist, and have really learned so much from reading posts. Here are a couple more things I have thought about and would like to see if anyone else has any theories. In the show where Liz' adopted father Sam is dying, there is an obvious affection between the Red and Sam. When Sam tells Red, Liz deserves to know the truth, Red says he won't allow it. Later, Sam tells Red "thank you" when he calls Liz. It was almost as if Red gave him permission to talk to her one last time. I got the idea that Sam knew Red was going to kill him, just as Grey knew it when he waited for Red to kill him.
Another thought I had was in the episode where Tom gets violent with Liz and says he works for important people, and it turns out to be a dream. Could this be a flashback and not a dream? Maybe a repressed memory? I really love this show and can't wait to see each episode! Thank you to all the posters for your insight.

3:10 pm March 10, 2014

SH wrote:

Two of Jolene's driver's licenses were issued the same day, 9/22/13, the day before the show premiered.
Ariana Howard of Newark, NJ and Natalie William of Lowell, MA

3:14 pm March 10, 2014

Chompstick wrote:

We don't know that Tom's real name is Tom Keen. As a spy, he may very well have an alias. If that is the case, it's possible that Craig Keen only appears to be his brother. I don't know what implication that has, but I thought I'd throw it out here for the theorists.

Perhaps the only thing that has upset me about Red so far is the killing of Sam. It is probably the single worst thing he could ever do to Liz, not giving her the chance to say goodbye to her adoptive father. Even if it was partially a mercy killing, it seems to me that he could have waited until after Liz had left the hospital. Sam was not in agony. And there must have been some other way Red could have kept Sam quiet about the past, for example threatening harm to Liz if Sam said anything. By every indication, Red loves Liz dearly, so why would he do this?

I agree with others that Tom was going to the hospital to either get information from Sam without Liz there, or was going to kill him. I also think that Tom has never loved Liz.

3:50 pm March 10, 2014

A.M. wrote:

Fergy - You're just testing me right? . The box cover on Gina's box was shown on the original broadcast on TV in the US. I saw it and I posted about it after I watched it the for my 2nd time, which I watch on line so was able to stop it frame by frame and screengrab it. And I live in the US. So maybe your state showed a different episode, or your city or maybe just your cable provider - but for the rest of the USA, that scene was shown . Not when she pulled the box out of the wall, when she put it down on the counter in the kitchen to examine its contents. She opened the box and put the cover down next to her and that's when you could see the symbol on the cover. As I said a million times . Waving to Fergy!

4:11 pm March 10, 2014

Charmed wrote:

Chomptick, Keen may or may not be Tom's last name, but we already know he has several aliases per the passports found in his box.
Craig may just be introduced as Tom's brother. Supposedly, Craig will be able to shed some very valuable light on what the relationship was like between Tom and someone else in his life growing up. Craig is supposed to very important to the Mythology of the series. I hope Peter Scanvino will appear in more than just the March 31 episode.

We discussed Sam's phone call to Liz and his subsequent death. Some of us decided that Sam and Red had an off camera discussion, while we were on a commercial break. It was one of the hardest scenes to watch.
But I know, and will say that morphine and other drug cocktails help cover the face of pain, if he even needed them at that time. But had he lived longer, the pain could become unbearable. I think Red cared about Sam very much and that threatening Liz's life would not only be a lie, it would hurt them both.

~SH, Thanks for the license info. There's nothing slow a$$ about this Jolene, NJ and MA. Unless of course they are fakes.

4:33 pm March 10, 2014

Chompstick wrote:

Face slap! Of course about Tom's passports, and yes, I remember the discussions about a possible off camera convo between Red and Sam. I think I even commented on it back on either Logan's site or here before we moved, I can't remember. As you can see, my memory sucks.

Maybe you're right about Red choosing to be honest and true to Sam, rather than putting Liz first. Liz likely will never know what Red did, whereas betraying Sam's friendship and trust would devastate Sam at the very end of his life. Okay, you've convinced me!

5:34 pm March 10, 2014

Anna wrote:

Most websites, including this one, have mentioned the symbol on Gina's box either in their recaps, or in the comment section. Also, Jason Evans, who does the recaps here on the speakeasy WSJ blog did an interview with executive producer and creator Jon Bokenkamp on January 13. Jason asked Jon B. about the similarities between the boxes and Liz's scar.

Jason: Can you confirm for me that the scars on Lizzie’s hand and the markings on the boxes that have been found are the same?
Jon: Uhhh, I cannot confirm that, but it sure is interesting that they look similar, isn’t it?

(Jason used the plural, boxes, and Jon did not correct him.)

I have to agree with A.M., that I do remember seeing the symbol on Gina's box, and thought the more important point was that the contents were similar to Tom's box, and that the symbol resembled Lizzie's scar. You know, I read just about anything I can find online about the Blacklist and several other message boards, and I have not seen one case where someone has said that there was NOT a symbol on Gina's box. I personally don't have a copy of that episode, but I trust screen capped and other screen grab sites like the ones that A.M., and CES2 have mentioned, which offer very professional, high quality stills and grabs of many different TV shows and movies, not just the Blacklist. They are not for profit, free sites that have absolutely no motive to alter any picture, for any reason. All the screen capped pics of Gina's box show the symbol very clearly.

But I believe you Fergy, that you are not seeing the symbol for some reason. This makes me wonder how you watch the episodes, and how large your TV screen is? The first time I watch an episode, I do watch on TV, but subsequent times I watch on my computer monitor. Like A.M., I prefer watching the episodes on my monitor. The color, sound and quality of my computer monitor (and headphones) are superior to any TV that I have ever seen in the stores. I also have noticed to my dismay that when I watch college basketball on my puny 30 inch something or other TV that the scores are always cut off, that one of my Fox stations has zoom in perspective and the other Fox station has a very zoom out format for the very same broadcast. That always cuts off sports scores and weather statements streaming by on the bottom of the screen. My TV does have several options however, that I constantly play with: Normal 4:3 Movie Expand Zoom and Wide I understand every TV is different, but in my case, this does affect the video perspective quite a bit. I was wondering how large your screen was, Fergy, and wondering if you in fact had a super large TV that it may be cutting off some of you video picture, perhaps you didn't see Gina's box clearly on your screen.

Fergy All I can add to Anna's excellent post about Gina's box and screencaps- while I cannot comment on what individuals see on their screens, I can offer this advice - go to the screencap site, download a zip file of screencaps for a relevant episode, unzip the file on your computer, go through the photos ( not thumbs, larger size )When you find the one with the symbol on the box ( there are several in different places ) - go through your episode again and look for the matching scenes

... My name is CES2 and I got addicted to the puzzle that is Blacklist....

6:22 pm March 10, 2014

Charmed wrote:

Chompstick, I used to have a great memory. Now it is Random, just like me!

~Anna, this is one of those random things I remember: 63 inches.

~Redravenous, So good to see you posting fairly often.

~Margaret, I may have partially answered your question in an earlier post to Chompstick. But as far as the dream sequence with Tom, I would have to say it was more likely a dream due to her subconscious (or as to what my Mama used to tell me), due to her guilty conscious. IMHO.

6:25 pm March 10, 2014

Anna wrote:

Ohhh... must have lost my post, I'll try again.

Chompstick, Liz will eventually find out that Red was in Nebraska at the hospital where Sam died on the same exact day that Sam died, because he still had the chip in his neck at that time. Someone, some where at the FBI has that information, because they were tracking Red, but they have not connected the dots yet. That day will come, I'm sure. And Liz will be devastated, if she even suspects that Red killed Sam.

It will be very interesting to hear how Red explains his presence there, to Liz. I thought that Tom might tell Liz about seeing Red that day, but he hasn't done that... yet.

It seems that Red and Tom have a strange relationship. Red could have killed Tom at any time, but he hasn't. And it does seem very strange that if Tom is as bad as Red has hinted he is, (which we now know he is...) then why oh why hasn't Red told the FBI or Lizzie about him? Why hasn't Red handed over any proof of Tom's guilt to Liz? Is it because Tom's name is on the Blacklist... but Red has to wait for things to play out first? And in the same fashion, why hasn't Tom tried to rid himself of Red's interference? I suppose he may have some connection to Fitch, so he knows he can't kill Red. And he did try to convince Liz to move away.

But it does seem strange, that Red provides such detailed information about the criminals on the Blacklist, but he hasn't done that about Tom.

7:58 pm March 10, 2014

Margaret wrote:

I can't wait to see what happens next. Maybe some agreement like the one between Fitch and Red keeps him from telling Liz more about her "husband". I am sure if Liz finds out that Red was at the hospital when Sam died, he will have a good cover story. She believed Tom was innocent, so maybe she will believe Red. I will definitely pay closer attention to little hints and details.

8:20 pm March 10, 2014

rann wrote:

I have just had it !!!!, I love this show but the way NBC is scheduling it, (1 here ... miss 2 .... etc), by the time they put on the next episode I can't remember what happen the last time it was on (and now March Madness coming up). To be fair all the big networks are doing it , what happen to a regular Fall & Winter season ? I am not the only one this is driving crazy," NETWORKS PLEASE LISTEN YO YOUR AUDIENCE", How many episodes are we getting now ? Ok had to get that off my chest, so I think Lizzie is not Red's daughter even though I think that is what the writers want us to believe, I think who she is will be a BIG season final.

8:30 pm March 10, 2014

Charmed wrote:

rann, Hi.
But which Season Finale?
You are right...
It will be big!

No fans are happy about the interruptions. I don't know if you've read it, but Jason E explained why closer to the top of the blog.

8:54 pm March 10, 2014

Anna wrote:

Did anyone catch the premiere of "Resurrection" last night on ABC? What an interesting story, great writing and cast. I really liked it, they got me hook, line and sinker. Just so this post isn't off topic.. I haven't felt like that about a show since the premier of Blacklist... have to make sure I watch the next episode.

9:08 pm March 10, 2014

Fergy wrote:

OK, I watched that scene with Gina's box on my 63 inch TV (good memory Charmed) I have Direct TV High Definition TV. I saved it on my DVR when it aired and still have it. I stopped the scene where she has the box on the counter and advanced it frame by frame. I even had my significant other watch it with me to make sure I wasn't missing it and he did not see it either.

CES2 thanks for the screneshot info but I have seen the picture of the mark on Gina's box but I have seen a lot of pictures that never show up in an episode. Obviously Liz didn't see it either or I would think she would have mentioned it. LOL! Let's see, the same mark as my husbands box, the same shape as the scar on my wrist?

I guess the Blacklist and Direct TV thought I was so special that they made a special version of that episode JUST FOR ME and showed it ONLY on my TV. Ha Ha!

9:51 pm March 10, 2014

Fergy wrote:

OH, and A.M. I am waving to you with both hands!

10:07 pm March 10, 2014

CES2 wrote:

Fergy, you have to start earlier- search in Gina's apartment, Liz sits in the leather chair, next to what looks like a cupboard with hinged door at the bottom, as she swings the door open I can see part of a box with the symbol in question clearly visible. This screen shows a hand in blue rubber glove holding the hatch partially open and part of the box with the symbol parallel to the hatch opening
she takes the box out , looks at the lid and runs her finger over the symbol, as she is taking the box to the table.
In order to see the symbol as she slides the lid open I have to pause and then play the scene at a slow speed , as in my experience freezing the screen sometimes blurs it ( ay least on my TV)

quite possibly how clearly one sees this segment depends on light and contrast of the screen.

Several shots later Reseller is facing Liz over the table , hands on both sides of the closed box. I can see the box lid under his left arm, as he starts the sentence "I admire ..(what you do), he moves his hands and I can clearly see the symbol on the lid

10:13 pm March 10, 2014

Fluffy wrote:

Fergy, the best shot of the top of Gina's box is when Liz first removes the front of the heater grill and then a little bit when she pulls the box out. You can't see it once it is on the counter, but you do see Liz moving her fingers over it. Both shots of the top of the box are at a low angle from the side. Once the box is out of the furnace, you no longer can see it.

I wish I had a big TV, but I do have all the copies in HD from Amazon and can replay them on my computer screen.

10:19 pm March 10, 2014

Fluffy wrote:

Rann, do you have cable On Demand so you can re-watch the previous episode before you see the next one? You will probably be able to find a copy of the previous episode on the NBC site or on YouTube. Me, I took the easy route. I bought a "Season Pass" from Amazon and for about $1.68 each I download an HD copy of each episode right after it airs so I have a full set. But you are oh so right. If it wasn't for that, these "intermissions" would be terrible!

10:50 pm March 10, 2014

Drew wrote:

"Gordon knocks Ressler out, then gets away".. lol.. Only after Ressler told AN ARMED FBI AGENT to "wait here," while he investigates the scary darkness..

I'm sorry, but as much as I want to like this show, it's moments like this that just infuriate me.. Why is he telling HIS PARTNER to wait here?.. Cause she's a woman?.. Is he afraid she might shoot him if things get confusing in the dark?.. WHAT?!..

They're the damn FBI!.. FBI agents do not tell there partners to "wait here" while they go an investigate alone..

11:11 pm March 10, 2014

Drew wrote:

So, I just read through all the comments, and apparently only I have a problem with Agent Ressler telling Liz to "wait here" while he chases a suspect down a dark hall.. Smh.. I'm sorry, but this really bothers me.. The writers need to stop doing crap like that, or it's gonna turn into 'The Following," which is the most laughable series I've seen in quite some time (mainly because they spent all season 1 somehow never calling for back up, and only have 2 people on the scene, with one getting killed or turning out to be a plant, and the bad guys always getting away)..

It's lazy writing, period, and this show is falling into the same traps..

12:51 am March 11, 2014

Charmed wrote:

Anna, I watched Resurrection and I really enjoyed it. I'm so glad we have another good puzzle to piece together.

~Fergy, I may have been the first to comment on the scar and both box symbols. I wasn't home to check the Gina Z. DVR'd episode when you asked Fergy, and then the site soon disappeared. I did double check and just as others have said tonight, the best place to start is when Liz is sitting in the chair, opens the door and starts to pull the box out. I hope knowing exactly where to look will help.

~CES2, Resurrection will be shown in your area May 9, 2014. It is based on the novel the Returned by Jason Mott. Maybe you will enjoy the pilot as much as Anna and I did.

~Drew, Since you read all the comments, you probably noticed that several of us are former WSJ Blog posters that returned one week ago. What you don't know is we have discussed the same types of issues, you just mentioned. We certainly don't want our favorite series to fall down a rabbit hole, like the other series you mentioned. We want he FBI to be competent. As a matter of fact, it was on our wish list, with several other items. We want our laughs to be from Red, not at anyone. Some things we take with a grain of salt, just because we enjoy James Spader and the Blacklist enough to overlook the discrepancies. Please share with us what keeps you watching the Blacklist.

Goodnight y'all!

2:06 am March 11, 2014

Chompstick wrote:

Drew - Things like the lack of FBI agent back-up seem to occur in almost every episode, and are quite unrealistic. However, I think we all tacitly agreed to not focus on the sometimes glaring inconsistencies and improbabilities, of which there are many. Many shows, and even more movies, are like that. It requires a suspension of disbelief on the viewer's part, and putting aside skepticism so that we can just focus on what good fun this show is. And how phenomenal James Spader is. But if we harp on that kind of thing, (and most us have been guilty of it sometime or another), it can drag a forum down really quickly and turn very negative. There are a number of those type of forums out there, and they're not pleasant to be on. For the most part, we choose to not sweat that kind of stuff, and the result is an enjoyable, friendly group of fans who loves to analyze and theorize every minute detail.

8:53 am March 11, 2014

Fergy wrote:

Fluffy wrote:
Fergy, the best shot of the top of Gina’s box is when Liz first removes the front of the heater grill and then a little bit when she pulls the box out. You can’t see it once it is on the counter, but you do see Liz moving her fingers over it. Both shots of the top of the box are at a low angle from the side. Once the box is out of the furnace, you no longer can see it.

Thank You Fluffy! Finally someone agrees that you CANNOT see the symbol when it is on the counter. The picture from screen grab site show the symbol on the top of the box very clearly while it is on the counter and Liz is going through the box with blue gloves on. In the actual episode the camera is zoomed in and you cannot see the box lid on the counter. I have never disputed that the symbol is on the box in Gina's apartment....I have always maintained that it was not shown in the episode. I am guessing that is for a reason. The screen grab picture is a wide angle, zoomed out, photo of the shot. What everyone is remembering is the symbol on the box in the picture not in the episode.

I will look at it again tonight Fluffy when I get home from work and see if I can see it when she takes the box out of the hiding place to see if I can see it. Up until this point I have been watching it frame by frame at the point she puts it on the counter because that is where everyone has been saying it was seen and based on the photo from screen grab.

9:32 am March 11, 2014

SH wrote:

Fluffy/Fergie:
You can see the symbol on the box at 21:24 into the episode, right before Liz takes it out of the wall.

11:34 am March 11, 2014

Anna wrote:

Regarding the boxes, many posters have come up with very creative ideas about what the symbol might mean. There is an excellent closeup picture of the symbol at screencapped dot net of the box, from The Pilot, 1.01, page 21, in the lower right hand side of the page. It is when Liz initially finds Tom's box in the floor when she is cleaning the carpeting, etc.

Anthea always came up with brilliant observations. (Are you lurking Anthea?) Anthea was the first one to mention that “Julian” was Julian Assange while the rest of us were still trying to figure out if Julian worked for the Adversary, for Fitch... or for Red. She also thought that the military activity after the Gulf war and other events from 1990 might have played a part in Red's disappearance (So did you, Charmed.)

Anthea's idea for the symbol was a bird emerging from the fire, as in a Phoenix, from mythology, rising from the ashes, a rebirth. The symbol does look like a birds beak, or talons, and it does seem to depict the flames of a fire.

BC had a wonderful and creative story behind the symbol, but... BC, you had better explain, (because I may make an error). Also A.M. I'm not sure if you related your theories to the symbol.

I thought that the Y-shaped twig that seems to be on fire, might be related to a “dowsing” rod or divinity rod that was used to search for something valuable, such as “ground water, buried metals or ores, gemstones, oil or gravesites.” (From Wikipedia.) The symbol may have implied a search for something or some one valuable, that was lost or missing as a result of a fire.

BC and Charmed... did I forget anything? I would be curious to know what others think about this symbol, what might it mean? Is it just something that Red used to try to link Tom and Gina together to frame Tom... or does the symbol have great importance because it may be exactly the same as Liz's scar?

12:15 pm March 11, 2014

Drew wrote:

OK, I have no issue with the suspension of disbelief.. I am an experience movie goer, who loves fantasy, and all genres.. That's not what's happening, here.. This is an FBI crime procedural, and as such realism is paramount in making the show believable.. Scenes like that insult my intelligence, and further, they're gender biased (You two ladies wait here, while this big bad guy goes and checks thing out).. Now, I'm not a woman, but if i were, that ish would infuriate me..

I love James Spader, and have for his entire career.. He is a good to great actor, with lots of pinnache.. And I have no problem suspending disbelief when it comes to plot points, and twists, but scenes like the one I described are just maddening..

Plus, it doesn't help they keep on usurping the show for the voice, or whatever.. I've thought about it, and I'm sorry but I think I'm done with this show.. One of these days, someone will conceive and produce a show that rivals Hill Street Blues.. Till then, I'll just wait..

1:35 pm March 11, 2014

Fergy wrote:

Just for the record Anna I DID know who Red was referring to when he mentioned Julian. He said he was looking very pale these days and how long has he been held up in that Embassy now? Those were clues to me that is was Julian Assange. Then when the guys in the warehouse started talking about obtaining shredded documents from some government garbage can I knew it had to be WikiLeaks employees.

2:58 pm March 11, 2014

A.M. wrote:

I just watched the scene again in the Gina episode and you're all right that the best shot of the cover of the box is the first second after Lizzy takes the piece off the wall before she pulls it out. But when she moves it to the counter and takes the cover off and is examining the passports, they flash back and forth between a closeup of the passports and Lizzy at the counter, and each time they pan out to Lizzy the cover of the box is CLEARLY visible with the marking on it. I did that screengrab of that scene the day after the show aired, it was on the internet version the next day. I am not watching it on TIVO, maybe that's the difference? But it was on the internet version the next day and the version they played in Australia.

The better question is why didn't Lizzy or ANYONE at the FBI point out the symbols were the same on the boxes? Did they just assume one box was planted or both boxes were planted so were made as a matching set? And Lizzy had to have recognized the symbol, she must have kept that part to herself. The scar/symbol must have a meaning to Lizzy that she's not sharing with anybody, not even Tom, her, to her, loyal loving husband.

3:36 pm March 11, 2014

BC wrote:

My idea for the Symbology on the box has changed but could still be either or neither of course:

1. Its a Crows Foot - which represents the name of the SSG (Secret Shadow Gov't) group Fitch represents - this is partly due to the shape and also partly due to the fact that before Fitch first appearance, it was publicized that his name was Crowley and/or Fitch Crowley - in the actual episode he went only as 'Fitch' - note the similarity between Crow and Crowley. Also as SSG group like Illuminati/Freemasons etc are based in ritualism, there is a man from back in the day who created his own sect named Alexander Crowley who was known as 'the most evil man in the world' so because the writers often make links and references to real life stuff, I figured maybe the SSG group has their roots in 'Crowleyism.'

2. It's a symbol of another language - perhaps Mandarin Chinese etc where if someone who was an expert in languages saw it, they would perhaps instantly recognize it and let us know what it is.

3. It's a DNA Helix - represents the genetic engineering experiments the SSG perhaps was doing on Liz that Red discovered as a Navy Admiral in grooming and disagreed with so strongly he burned the facility to the ground. The fire with the bunny rabbit stuffed animal memory of Liz's, the way Red left the Navy so hastily, being accused of 'treason' per the original Wanted poster and his old bunkmate in the last episode and the deal with Fitch's group to not reveal 'what he has' all points to Red discovering or being let in on a secret and choosing to secure evidence of it before destroying/burning down the facility itself. Its quite possible with Super Soldier experiments etc, they could've been genetic-type of experiments if not mind-control. Thus the scar Liz has could be a 'branding' mark of her participation in those experiments/the symbol of the group that performed them.

3:40 pm March 11, 2014

BC wrote:

In regards to Tom being dangerous enough for Red to repeatedly warn Lizzie about but not kill him, its quite possible that Red needs Tom in order to find his Adversary so if he kills Tom, then the trail goes cold. So he instead is stuck warning her how dangerous he is without being able to do anything about it as he needs Tom alive at this point just like he needs Liz alive for other reasons. Once Red figures out who Tom works for, then he may become disposable. As we know Tom's character is signed for all 22 episodes this season, it took 15 to out him as a bad guy so we have at least 7 more to see what happens next!

4:01 pm March 11, 2014

Redravenous wrote:

Drew, we've started to think that everything the writers are doing, is intentional, because they are so clever. I often wonder if we make something from nothing intentional on their parts, possibly due to acting, possibly due to loose ends that the writers left in pursuit of more interesting story lines. What you are taking about is similar to the concerns about misrepresenting Turkey, raised by
Duygu

We're talking about quality. Quality throughout: the acting, the story lines, the dialogue etc. We are impressed by much of what The Blacklist has given us, and extras like humour, tidbits and trivia. If they are cutting corners on the research and/or the resources in regards to the realism of the FBI (an actual organization) or geographical locations (actual places) then we should expect the same quality as given to other aspects of the show.

I understand the frustration. Shows that I stopped watching part way through the first episode often insulted my intelligence. Sometimes for little things like "Baby Girl". We all have our own irritants and insulting aspects. Helps to blog about it and share your feelings and hopefully the writers, or future writers will take note. Keep watching and keep blogging!

4:10 pm March 11, 2014

Charmed wrote:

Anna, I have to think about the theories for a bit. WSJ has Resurrection and Believe blogs- tiny.

~Drew, I absolutely loved Hill Street Blues. Each character, every episode. Take care Drew.
~Fergy, I had just assumed others knew who Julian was. I probably read too much. I also recognized the singing bowl and knew about the duck eggs. I might appear a bit smarter if I spoke up sometimes and shut up at others.
~A.M. I can understand that Liz might not want to call attention to the box symbols in relation to her scar. But found it strange that no one including Ressler noticed the box lids. That reminds me of after Gina Z whipped him in the elevator, he told Liz not to shoot Gina. But he did twice. Odd.

4:12 pm March 11, 2014

Anna wrote:

I think you are right A.M., that Lizzie knows the symbols match her scar, and is trying to conceal it. In early episodes, we might not have noticed. But since we have seen that she may have a criminal background (and never got caught), that she is capable of concealing the truth, if it jeopardizes her career. Just out of curiousity, I never paid that much attention.. doesn't Liz wear sleeveless tops (or jacket off) ony when she is at home? But when she is at the post office or out in the field, she always wears long sleeved blouses? It just seems that she conveniently wears long sleeves if she is on duty with Ressler, etc. But when she is at home, or with Red, she may have a short sleeved top on. (She did wear the red dress with capped sleeves in Madeline Pratt, but there were no FBI agents at the Syrian Embassy that night!)

And thank you BC for providing your theories again. You may be onto something there with the "Alexander Crowley" connection. The writers do like to borrow names, don't they?

4:31 pm March 11, 2014

Anna wrote:

Charmed, thanks for the tip about the other blogs, I hadn't noticed that. And YES I do remember when you brought up the duck eggs... you have such incredible knowledge about a wide variety of subjects, Charmed, just like Red!

Also, the FBI failing to mention the symbols on the box is similar to the FBI failing to ask Tom how he happened to find the box, and OH yes. Not bothering to do a DNA test... and not noticing that Red was in Nebraska when Liz's adopted father died or.... I guess the list is very long.

5:49 pm March 11, 2014

CES2 wrote:

What does everyone thinks about Lizzy possible criminal past? I think she could have juvenile offense history

we hear Red mention Lizzy's criminal father in Episode 1 .

Later in this episode when discussing Zemani, Red tells Liz "think like a criminal .....it may come easier than you think" - this caught my attentions because of Red's tone of voice ,

" In most states, this means that if you're asked whether you have a criminal or juvenile offense history, you can legally say no. Likewise, if an employer, educational institution, government agency, or other entity does a background check on you, your juvenile court history will not come up".

Charmed thank you for the mention of the new show, we already have adds for it.

8:04 pm March 11, 2014

Anna wrote:

CES2, In Madeline Pratt, while Red is dancing with Liz to calm her nerves, right before she has to go and steal the effigy, he says to her... “You’re not a cop tonight. You’re a criminal. Just be yourself.” I think that line is very telling also. It's one thing to pretend you are a criminal, and quite another to have a criminal background, as Liz seems to have. I think someone else mentioned that is probably why it didn't show up on her background check, because she was a juvenile.

How did Liz learn these "talents?" Does she have experience as a grifter, petty thief,and pickpocket? She certainly knows sleight of hand magic tricks and knew how to steal that ID from the embassy employee and return it as well. Did she really help to rob a store in Omaha by seducing the night manager in an alley while her boyfriend went inside and took the money? Most elements of her story were probably true, even though she told Red that she made it all up.

I have a feeling Liz has also learned how to lie quite well and has been lying and covering up many things.

When Red said be yourself, why didn't Liz say "I beg your pardon, I am not a criminal," or something to that effect? Why doesn't she question him about anything he says? I hope that this does not mean that there has been a conversation between Red and Liz that we have not seen yet, (like the missing conversation we suspect took place between Sam and Red agreeing to a mercy killing). Perhaps they have already discussed her past, and she doesn't need to ask how he knows so much, because she has already told him everything.

11:37 pm March 11, 2014

BC wrote:

Season Finale is set for May 12th so with 7 episodes left starting March 17th, it looks like there will be 2 more 1-week gaps (or 1 2-week gap). After seeing how much I look forward to each episode, with all the interruptions (which I realize is a necessity to keep the show going from fall to spring), the people I'm jealous of are the ones that have never seen it and will just get to binge-watch every episode together on the season DVD this summer. Then again, it *may* not be as exciting when you get to watch each episode back-to-back and watch everything unfold that quickly as I suppose there's at least SOME value to the 1-week delay between each weekly episode and all the speculation and anticipation that creates - it's kind of like if they fit the 17-week NFL season into 17 straight days - less drama but you get to the point faster

8:46 am March 12, 2014

Fergy wrote:

Good Point BC!

8:51 am March 12, 2014

Fergy wrote:

Anna, could it possible be that the reason Liz wears long sleeves and coats out in the field is because it is filmed in NY and it is winter time there? I think the only one filmed in warm weather seems to be the pilot. But you have peeked my curiosity and I will have to look at all my saved episodes and see if she ever wears anything sleeveless when she is out in the field. Interesting point.

10:20 am March 12, 2014

Redravenous wrote:

I would expect that an FBI agent would wear blazers and longer sleeved clothing. A women working in a male dominated field would usually dress more conservatively to get respect rather than flirtatious and unwanted attention. The job also calls for that, being indoors and out, interviewing witnesses, collaborating with other police forces. Seems to me Meera dresses similarly.

1:30 pm March 12, 2014

DLJL wrote:

I'm sure one of the pre-emts will be for the season finale of The Voice. I am so glad all of you made your way back to this sight. This has been very interesting reading all of your thoughts and theories. You all have such good eyes. One OT question, were any of you dissectors of LOST?

2:21 pm March 12, 2014

Charmed wrote:

DLJL, Yes. Not speaking for everyone, but after several episodes, some of us became disenchanted. It was a great idea, I just wish the writers had been able to follow their own premise.

Thanks for the Welcome.

2:39 pm March 12, 2014

Charmed wrote:

BC, I agree with your points too. But can you even imagine if our group had not watched and reviewed together? Especially during the breaks. Americans, Canadians, and Australians, all like minded. Each of you have made watching a tv series a wondrous experience for me.

DLJL, Loyal LOST fan here. I confess I never missed an episode, but eventually gave up trying to figure out plot direction and the meaning of each and every clue. Much time and effort was spent analyzing meaningless clues that were never fully explained. However, the most interesting part of the show was the interaction and the relationships between all the characters... not the convoluted storyline, in my humble opinion. LOST had such a large, talented cast, such good performances from each and every actor.

It's no surprise, really, that so many of the excellent actors from that cast have moved on to new roles on other programs (that are currently airing on TV).

5:41 pm March 12, 2014

A.M. wrote:

Fergy, I think I figured it out! It's possible your television is set on a zoom type mode that is cutting off the edges of the picture we all see on our tvs. The best way to check is to watch one of the episodes available on line at the same time you are watching it on your TiVo. See if the edges of the picture are missing on your tv version. There's an easy fix for that btw, you go into your menu, into picture and find the choices for the different type pictures sizes. Mystery may be solved If that's the issue, once you fix the zoom level rewatch the Gina episode and you'll see what your tv cut out of the picture. Another way to tell is if when you watch one of the news channels if you can't see the scrolling text on the bottom. Or it's cut off. That's a zoom issue too.

9:00 pm March 12, 2014

A.M. wrote:

I just tried changing the setting on my TV but it appears that in order to be compatible with Direct TV it won't let me change it. I think even if I can figure out how to change the zoom on the TV it won't help with the recorded version because it recorded with the current setting. So I think what I am going to do once I get some free time is purchase the episode from AMAZON and watch it on my computer. That way I can be on the same page with everyone else. The setting isn't zoom though, the only options I have are Standard or Wide Screen and when I change it to Wide Screen it changes back when I close out so I assume it is a Direct TV issue.

9:01 pm March 12, 2014

Fergy wrote:

I wrote the comment above. I was directing my comment to A.M. but I put your name in the name box instead of the comment box. LOL! It has been a long day!

9:43 pm March 12, 2014

Charmed wrote:

Fergy, I had to laugh out loud at your post. I started to tell A.M. that I wondered if that was the problem with any words at the bottom of my tv. I knew something had changed. But after I typed A.M. in the name box, I decided I would check it out first.

Anna, I don't remember when Charlie died, but he was one of my favorites, along with Sawyer, Sayyid, Locke and Hurley in the earlier days. After that I couldn't help myself, I made it worse by going back and forth. You are right about them having a great cast.

10:38 pm March 12, 2014

A.M. wrote:

Fergy, that's IT! The tv should be on widescreen, and if it's not your missing the edges of the shot. I'm surprised you didn't notice this on other shows and on movies. It sounds like it is a Direct TV problem. I'm glad we finally figured out why you weren't getting the same screen image as the rest of us! It's too bad the Gina episode isn't available for free anymore. You really don't have to buy it, you can see the shots of what you missed on the screengrab pages. For the rest of the season you may want to start watching your 2nd viewing re-watch online instead of off your TiVo so you get the full picture on your 2nd watching. (Notice how I assume you do a 2nd rewatch, lol, I think all cracklisters do multiple viewings of each episodes.) The last few episodes are always available for free at the NBC page.

Charmed, that is exactly why your text is missing at the bottom of the screen. You need to go to the MENU on your tv and find the prompts for screen size. It varies on the TV, but it's usually a choice of widescreen, full screen, zoom and a few others.

10:59 pm March 12, 2014

Anna wrote:

Charmed, I enjoyed Sawyer so much on Lost, (He was such a devil) definitely my favorite. Sawyer and Freckles. Have you ever been to Lostpedia dot wikia dot com? Great place to reminisce, and get answers to some questions. You really had to take notes after some of those episodes (never during...). That was a unique show that not only used flashbacks, but also flashforwards, and flashsideways (alternate universe). Oh I hope none of the writers on the Blacklist team ever wrote for LOST !

1:04 am March 13, 2014

Anonymous wrote:

A.M., Luv ya! My tv had been set on zoom 1. It covered my whole screen, but I didn't have trouble viewing what we've discussed. I noticed sometimes their hairlines were missing a little along the top of the screen, with only the top of the text at the bottom. But bald is sexy. Wow, I feel like I learned to paste something all over again! Thank you.

Anna, You and I have an eye for the men. Sawyer with the long hair, sexy grin and dimples. It seems we both have a thing for the "bad boys" of tv. Just think we could have double dated!

1:04 pm March 13, 2014

Kate wrote:

Is there a problem with this site today? Can't seem to get my comments to appear.

1:12 pm March 13, 2014

Kate wrote:

I've been reading all the comments and this was interesting:

Drew wrote: “This is an FBI crime procedural, and as such realism is paramount in making the show believable. “

Really? I never thought of the Blacklist as strictly an FBI procedural. The writers have gone out of their way during interviews to remind us that this show is a hybrid, and they try to balance the procedural with the ongoing plot/mystery/back stories. Red is at the core of the show, his agenda, his motives, his relationships with Liz and the Blacklisters. The FBI is basically along for the ride. Is it really important to the plot that the show depicts the FBI in the most realistic manner?

Some people actually enjoy the procedural aspects of the show, (which surprises me). But frankly, if the producers wanted to make this show strictly a procedural, I would not watch. So the writers have been trying very hard to keep that balance to keep everyone happy. (BTW that was 9 minutes of James Spader in the last episode, according to a fan on Facebook who keeps track of such things.)

2:19 pm March 13, 2014

SH wrote:

I agree with you Kate.
I would not watch the show either if it was "strictly procedural".

3:30 pm March 13, 2014

Redravenous wrote:

Remember in the second episode Red said " the FBI works for me now".

3:59 pm March 13, 2014

Hank C wrote:

I hate to see Drew do this to himself, but it's his call. What people tend to forget is that TV shows and movies from House MD to The Blacklist are written strictly for entertainment centered around an established theme. They are not documentaries.

5:44 pm March 13, 2014

Redravenous wrote:

So there's been discussions about Lost. Is that due to the possible similarities to the missing Boeing 777? Don't you just get feeling that red knows where it is:-)

4:10 am March 14, 2014

Fluffy wrote:

"...TV shows and movies from House MD to The Blacklist are written strictly for entertainment...they are not documentaries."

You mean Red isn't...isn't REAL?? But he's on TV and they can't put anything on TV that isn't REAL!! RIGHT???

10:53 am March 14, 2014

Fergy wrote:

OMG! You guys are cracking me up this morning. LOL!
Well said Kate! Hank C I have said that several times, it is a TV Show not a documentary. If I want to see real life crime stories I will watch the 24 Hour New Channels.

In my opinion the procedural part of the story is just a vehicle for Red to carry out his agenda. In the Pilot when Ressler accused him of turning himself in so he would have access to their intelligence Red responded by saying I prefer my own intelligence or something to that fact. And honestly, in real life I believe the criminals do have better intelligence than our government does. The more sophisticated ones do. The Mafia ran this country for years and outsmarted the US government every time. Al Capone was responsible for so many heinous crimes and it took years for our justice system to find him guilty and they could only get him on tax evasion. There are numerous stories like this. But the bottom line is.....the story is about RED REDDINGTON and ELIZABETH KEEN, the procedural part is just a tool to facilitate their stories. In my opinion of course.

A.M. I am actually going to call DirecTV today and find out what the story is with the settings on my TV. As far as purchasing the episode from Amazon, it only costs $2.10 with tax and you can watch it as many times as you want. I am so glad that you brought that up, I don't wonder how much I have missed in other episodes because it would have come up on the blog. Thanks for the heads up and I will post back and let you know what I figure out.

ONLY THREE SLEEPS UNTIL THE NEXT EPISODE!!!

11:25 am March 14, 2014

Hank C wrote:

Fluffy..........Of course RED IS REAL! I thought that went without saying.

11:28 am March 14, 2014

Hank C wrote:

Ferguson......well put about the procedural part of the show.

11:32 am March 14, 2014

Hank C wrote:

Don't ask about my Ferguson reference. Just my keyboard getting a mind of its own again.

5:06 pm March 14, 2014

Fergy wrote:

LOL! Hank, I hate when my computer does that.

5:14 pm March 14, 2014

MasterofKindWords wrote:

Just a few weeks ago, the producers (in Beyond the Blacklist) wanted us to believe that they had provided some answers:

Red is not Liz's father (Anslo Garrick part 2).
Tom is a good guy cleared by the FBI (Gina Zanetakos).
The mole story is finished, so let's move on. (Three episode arc).

Well, if the preview to Monday's episode is any indication, looks like we can scratch off the second “answer.” (Can't wait to see how bad Tom can be., all of a sudden he is an interesting character!) But... this makes you wonder if the other two answers they provided, prove to be false as well.

5:34 pm March 14, 2014

Redravenous wrote:

Does anyone remember the Carol Burnett show? Does anyone remember the character where nobody ever sees her or notices her.?

5:36 pm March 14, 2014

Hank C wrote:

Right you are MasterofKindWords! Welcome to the ever-changing mystery of The Blacklist.

5:46 pm March 14, 2014

Hank C wrote:

To expand a bit MasterofKindWords, I think we need to remember these points:

When Liz asks Red if he's her father, Red's answer is not perfectly clear. You might recall that he didn't give her a strong "matter of fact" NO delivered quickly. His answer was delayed for quite a bit of time as he seemed to be pondering his reply to her. This leaves us still looking in both directions.

The FBI "cleared" Tom, but Red had repeatedly warned Liz about Tom since day one. We have come to know that Red's knowledge is rock solid, and as such we never really thought Tom was an innocent man. Even though the show kept portraying him that way by virtue of his actions and demeanor on screen. Of course that all unravelled last episode.

6:05 pm March 14, 2014

ziji wrote:

Do people still believe red is Liz's father? Fergy, if memory serves, you were an itial die hard advocate of the paternity link. Are you still in that camp

Fergy you say that the procedural aspect of the show is to advance Red's agenda....and what the heckling is Red's agenda???

6:54 pm March 14, 2014

Nancy wrote:

So glad I stumbled upon this blog! Delicious theories abounding! I've been trying to catch up by reading your comments from past episodes but forgive me if I comment on somethng that you've already discussed. Why is Tom so insistent on moving to Nebraska? Does anyone think there may be more to his motive than just removing her from her FBI network and Red? If Liz grew up there, might there be some connection in Nebraska to her scar and the other boxes? And why is he so insistent upon adopting a baby? Any thoughts? Love this blog!

7:49 pm March 14, 2014

Jane wrote:

I am so glad I discovered this blog also! I love The Blacklist and James Spader! I know it has not yet been two weeks since the last episode but it seems like two months. This is, indeed, a good way to get a "Black List Fix" when the show isn't on.

8:21 pm March 14, 2014

CES2 wrote:

Anna- I finally caught up with the Judge episode few days ago. So hopefully for the rest of the season I will only be just one day behind you all..

New spoilers for Milton Bobbit are up. this sounds so interesting,

9:16 pm March 14, 2014

Anonymous wrote:

Ziji - I still believe that Red is her father, but not her biological father. For whatever reason, Red took her from the Adversary, and raised her as his own until she was three. Or perhaps he and his wife (whom he never mentions) adopted a child. Adoption seems to be a favorite theme that keeps recurring. To keep Liz safe, he gave her to Sam to raise and that may why a DNA may not show Red as the father.

A poster made a comment about something she noticed during that flashback scene that Liz has with the bunny and a fire. She noticed a child's drawing on the wall with two names written on it. The picture says“Lizzie” or “Liz” on one side and I believe the name “Ray” written on the other side in crayon, in a child's handwriting. That makes me think that Red may have had more than one child, and that he had a son, Ray. But I don't remember what the poster concluded after looking at the episode again, if there were names visible or not. Maybe Fergy remembers. I think the first flashback was when she was looking at the singed bunny, not sure.

Jane - I feel the same way, two weeks without the Blacklist feels like two months.

CES2 - I am chomping at the bit myself after reading the spoilers, and I saw a photo of Tom on facebook that I definitely can't mention. The next two episodes sound fantastic. SO glad you've finally caught up.

9:20 pm March 14, 2014

Anna wrote:

Sorry that was me, anonymous.

9:42 pm March 14, 2014

CES2 wrote:

Anna, Funny you should mention the drawing. Is this the drawing of what looks like an orange fox ? I looked at it the other day , both on my TV and screen caps, but cannot see anything definite, could be just scribbles.someone mentioned after the episode aired that nbc logo obscures the picture a bit, the broadcast I see does not have the logo! but I still cannot see anything definite - same as on screencaps.

Regarding Tom, writers really like to play with us, don't they.

10:09 pm March 14, 2014

Anna wrote:

I was just looking at screencapped, with disappointment. There is a child's drawing but it's too dark and cut off at the top. I could have sworn there were names scribbled on the drawing... I did watch that episode several times. Funny you say a fox... I thought it was a picture of a panda bear, ha. But the one interesting thing was the the clock... it is 11:45, I assume at night. At first the bunny is sitting on the night stand, but then someone is holding it as the fire starts. I wonder if Lizzie will eventually remember how that fire started, and who was there.

Now I am beginning to wonder if I am simply remembering what someone else said they saw, but didn't see it myself. I could have sworn...

10:12 pm March 14, 2014

CES2 wrote:

Jane, I agree, this is the best part of this friendly blog community, we will be here during the long months of summer break , discussing finer points of the show and feeding our addiction to the Blacklist.

10:38 pm March 14, 2014

CES2 wrote:

Anna, there is a way with dark screencap picture- download it to your computer and save . Generally with a picture viewer that came with your computer you should be able to lighten the photo if it is too dark

10:49 pm March 14, 2014

Jane wrote:

Thank you for the welcome, CES2. In reading Fergy's list of questions it brings to mind something I have continued to ponder. Liz has recollections of a fire. Her bunny is scarred. Liz's scar might have been from a fire. Red's house, where he raised his family, seemed too intact to have experienced such a fire. There were still the growth chart markings on the wall, the place where Red hung his hat. When Red returned he said he just saw blood. The fire must have happened somewhere else, but when Liz was a young child for her to have had a toy bunny and also for her not to remember what happened to her prior to her being four years of age.

11:19 pm March 14, 2014

Anna wrote:

Thanks CES2, that is a good idea, I'll try it. I'll save it and stick it in a special folder that contains a "few" pictures of James Spader that I've saved (Winks without the use of a emoticon.)

You make a good point, Jane, there wasn't a fire at Red's house. Perhaps the fire took place, as a distraction, on the night that Red "took" Liz from her biological father (the Adversary?). Maybe he took her as retribution for the "loss" or disappearance of his own daughter.

11:43 pm March 14, 2014

Charmed wrote:

I just have a second...

Anna Aren't You Supposed To Be:
The Master of Kind Words???

Welcome new fans. Tomorrow y'all.

12:04 am March 15, 2014

CES2 wrote:

Does anyone still think that Jolene could be Red's lost daughter? ... With ".... flaming locks of auburn hair.. and eyes of emerald green..." playing in my head, I'm thinking how would this play out ? Easy to imagine she could have been taken either by her mother ( I think Red could have been betrayed by his wife) or by someone else and raised in hate of her father , told that her father abandoned her ?

12:26 am March 15, 2014

Jane wrote:

Yes, CES2, I have always harbored the idea that Lucy could be Red's daughter. He participated in Wujing, which he didn't really want to, to get her ViCAP number then used his one favor to look her up. The look on his face and his lip curl could have expressed disgust that his daughter had turned out like she did. He has tried to find her and she has gone to elaborate means to escape him. Whoever she is he certainly wants to find her. And I still have not given up on Red being Lizzie's biological father. As people have mentioned "raising his family" and finding his "children" gone intimates more than one child although Red visualized only one little girl at his old house. Mysteries and possibilities...

12:30 am March 15, 2014

Jane wrote:

When Red hired Cowboy to tell him where Lucy/Jolene had been he didn't seem like a father tracing an errant daughter though. And he wanted to let her be until she completed her mission. More mysteries and possibilities...

6:45 am March 15, 2014

Anna wrote:

CES2 and Jane, yes it does seem that Red has an unusual fixation on finding Lucy/Jolene. Lucy/Jolene may very well be his daughter. Redravenous said something that convinced me that sometimes one parent takes the child away and turns the child against the other parent, brainwashes them. If that happened to Red and his wife took Lucy away (that might not have been her real name), that would explain his great desire to keep track of her. What puzzles me is why she would go to the trouble of faking her death just to elude Red. She must know he is after her, and perhaps their paths have crossed in the past. This may be another indication that Red's wife did something to cause that attack on his family, and she may be in league with his adversary, or was a plant in the first place.
Yes Charmed, that was me. I knew you would recognize that name, that's why I used it.. For some reason I could not post as Anna for a day or so, and when I used another name and tried to explain, those comments would not post either. I was afraid you or others were having trouble as well. I definitely was not feeling very welcome here. But MasterofKindWords worked yesterday, and so did anonymous. I was afraid to even mention the name anna! Perhaps someone else was using the name anna on another comment section in the speakeasy section? Seems to be working now.

8:19 am March 15, 2014

Anna wrote:

Nancy, you asked about Tom and Nebraska. There has never been any clues given as to why Tom wanted to move to Nebraska except to keep his wife safe from a dangerous job, which seems understandable (until now!). He has been pressuring Liz to quit her job, move away AND adopt a baby all at the same time. This must mean that his mission was jeopardized by Red's arrival, and by all the attention she has been getting capturing criminals. We assume that it has been covered in the press. (Red tells Liz not to wear olive, that she is a spring, not a winter.)

Nebraska would be a logical place to move since that is where Liz grew up. But you may be right suspecting that Tom has other motives, perhaps to help Liz recall her earliest memories about that fire, or about her biological father. Also, doesn't it seem that Red would not have placed Liz in a home in the same town as she originated from, he would want her to be hidden far away, so that the adoption would not draw too much attention.

Also don't you think that Tom, of all people, should have been the one to say.. “Oh momma, your scar looks just like the symbol on the box we found in the floor.”

10:38 am March 15, 2014

SH wrote:

What if Liz did quit her job, adopt the baby and agree to move to Nebraska? (there would be no more show obviously) but then what would Tom do? His "boss" would have no need for him anymore. Bye bye Tom.

11:25 am March 15, 2014

Fergy wrote:

Ziji, I was an original die hard that Red was her father. I think the writers knew that people were getting irritated with that portion of the story dragging out so they gave us that tid bit at the end of Anslo Garrick 2. However, the answer was not sincere and there was a dramatic pause between the question and the answer. I still believe that it is a strong possibility but have stopped obsessing over it because it was distracting me from the rest of the story. Like everything else their past will be revealed at the appropriate time. I will say this though, if Liz was the little girl that Red referred to in the story that he told Madeline Pratt, he would no longer feel such anguish over her now that he has found her. That is if he wasn't just telling the story with so much emotion in order to get what he wanted from Madeline. IF Jolene was the little girl he was talking about in the story, he would still have that much anguish over her because that little girl no longer exists in Jolene.

We don't know what Red's agenda is yet. We know that he wanted to be in a position to be known to Liz and be accessible to protect her. That is why he turned himself in and would only speak to her. That gave him an opportunity to work with her and develop a relationship. We know that he loves her and that he gave her to Sam, her adopted father when she was a small child. Tom told Red after Sam died that Sam adopted her when she was 4. Red told Sam before he killed him that Sam would always be her father and all he could hope for was to Love her and protect as Sam had over the years. That is something a person would say to another person that raised their child. If in the end, it is discovered that Red is not her father and is only using her to get even then I think a lot of Reddington Lovers would drop off from watching the show. We know that Red can be a really ruthless person but we want to believe he was forced to be that way by events that happened TO him in the past. If he is just using her to get even with his Adversary, that makes him a sick sociopath and not very endearing.

My theory on Tom's motives, we will find out more on Monday but I think he wanted her to move away and adopt a child with him to tie her emotionally to him and get her away from Red. She was raised by a single parent and in the Pilot when she profiles herself she mentions that she raised herself. If that is the case, once she has a child with him, adopted or not, she will make that marriage work so her child does not have to grow up like she did. That is why Red kept warning her about Tom and about adopting a baby. He even went to the extreme by offering the Cyprus Agency as a Blacklist name so she would interview the owners adopted parents. Red probably already knew they would tell Liz that they adopted for the wrong reasons and they were not ready to be parents because they had marital problems. Same situation as her and Tom, knowing that would strike a cord with her. Red is very manipulative and right now we are believing it is for the right reasons. A criminal with a moral compass. I for one would stop watching the show if it turns out that Red is using Liz for reasons other than to protect her regardless if he is her father or not.

As for Jolene, I have thought she might be the daughter that he lost and when he finally found her she was a career criminal. Whomever took her raised her to be a criminal. Remember when he searched the VICAP system we don't know if he was searching the victim database or the perpetrator data base. They are separated. He may have been looking at the victim section since it was about that time that she faked her death. Or after he found her in the system she was tipped off that he was looking for her and then she faked her death. I hope they don't drag out that connection too long. I agree that in the last episode he didn't seem very loving when he talked to Cowboy about her, however, if she is his daughter he might be disgusted with the way she has turned out.

Last but not least.....I find it so odd that Red NEVER mentions his wife, only this little girl of his that he misses so much. I am sure there is a story line there that will be revealed at some point. Others have noticed it too.

11:47 am March 15, 2014

Jane wrote:

IF Red's wife and daughter survived the Christmas Eve attack and IF his wife took his daughter away and raised her to hate her father because Red deserted them, that would certainly be a reason for Red to extremely dislike his wife. But for whatever reason Red is obsessed with learning what happened to his "family" but never mentions his wife. He paints a picture, in talking to Madeline, of a family where there had to be some sort of a wife figure- the house decorated, a fire going, oyster stew on the stove...

Although the female in The Stewmaker's album looked youngish, perhaps his wife was killed and done away with by The Stewmaker. The last scene in that episode shows Red looking at that photo which he took with him. Perhaps he knows he wife is gone but is still searching for his children. This, of course, blows the theory that his wife survived and raised his daughter (Lucy/Jolene) to hate him.

12:56 pm March 15, 2014

Charmed wrote:

This is one of my last fun pastes/comments before the blackout:

A question was asked to the writes &Co online Q&A about the dog what and where is he ? The answer according to Jon B although us viewers never saw what happened said the dog was drugged and put in the hallway closet ? also said the dog will be back making appearences on the show Hell at the time this question was asked and answered it was episode 5 now its 9-10 episodes gone he still in the closet ?

The dog was a mole too. He is somewhere in a safe house being debriefed.

Did anyone see it before the lights went out? I really wondered about the dog ended up a someone from Facebook found the information. Reckon we will see the dog again?

1:21 pm March 15, 2014

BC wrote:

I cant recall if it was Charmed or Fergy that posted it on the 'other' blog that is now defunct, but what was the name of the site that had the super long, super funny/sarcastic episode Recaps? It was actually written by a guy here in Austin TX but I cant recall the site name and wanted to read the one for the last episode.

1:25 pm March 15, 2014

JK wrote:

I wondered about the dog too.

1:47 pm March 15, 2014

Jane wrote:

BC- The blog is televisionwithoutpity

1:49 pm March 15, 2014

Jane wrote:

Television Without Pity Jacob Clifton Judge episode is "Mr Goodbar"

2:04 pm March 15, 2014

Anna wrote:

It seems that in every episode, the Blacklister is related somehow to what connects Red to Liz. I just have to go back to this crazy idea, it seems to fit...

In the Courier episode, the courier cut little slits in his skin to hide small objects, and then sewed them up again. The writers may have used that particular eccentricity to hint about Liz's scar. I still believe that there is something hidden beneath that scar, and Sam put it there when Liz was 14. Her original scar may have come from a fire at age 4, and Sam used that scar when she was 14. That would explain why Liz tells Red she got the scar at 14, but she tells the little girl in the pilot, that she got the scar when she was 4.

It would also explain why she tells the little girl that her father gave it to her to make her brave and strong. Perhaps Sam told her that the scar gives her great power, that she would always be protected, and that someday she would be very important. Maybe someday has arrived, when Red turned himself into the FBI.

Perhaps Liz is an asset, not because of her memories or abilities, but rather because of what she carries with her beneath her skin... under that scar.

2:08 pm March 15, 2014

Anna wrote:

If Red needs Liz because of something she possesses, this does not mean that Red does not still think of her as his daughter, or that he does not love her. He shows her love and paternal affection in every single episode with his words and behavior. Whether he adopted her originally, or took her from an enemy, he still may have raised her until she was three or four. He made a great sacrifice giving her up to keep her safe. But somehow his agenda leads right back to her, that he planted a secret weapon or intelligence with her when she was a little girl, and now it is time to retrieve it.

Liz may already know the important role she will play, because Sam may have told her. Perhaps her recent change in demeanor towards Red means that she finally realized that Red is the man that Sam told her about, and that an important day has arrived. She trusts Red, accepts him and respects him. He doesn't need to manipulate her, she will do anything for him. Quite a change from the way she treated Red in the pilot.

2:11 pm March 15, 2014

Hank C wrote:

ziji wrote:
Do people still believe red is Liz’s father? Fergy, if memory serves, you were an itial die hard advocate of the paternity link. Are you still in that camp

Well Ziji, It's not so much a matter of people still believing it, but rather the jury is still out, and most of us still don't know. We have no smoking gun proof one way or another as yet.

2:18 pm March 15, 2014

Jane wrote:

Anna, correct that every episode is about Red's ties to Liz and also about his search for Lucy/Jolene.

3:58 pm March 15, 2014

Charmed wrote:

Jane, Were you a lurker on our old black site?

~BC, Yes, it was the television without pity site that I told you about after watching Madeline Pratt. Then you had a ball copying and pasting. I could hear you laughing as I read it. LOL. Yes it was me who wrote about the dog. It just disappeared! And you know how I liked to add random bits to liven everyone up before a new episode, now I feel strangely quietened.

~Anna, You know I agree about the scar. IF Lizzie is in anyway used by Red, I believe it will relate to him winning the endgame, and will only benefit Lizzie. I believe he loves her, blood ties or not. Strangely enough, Liz does act as though she is aware of much more than the series has related. I like the idea that maybe Sam did hint something about her future or her past.

~~We have daffodils, everywhere...Pretty!

4:37 pm March 15, 2014

Jane wrote:

Charmed, I wasn't exactly a lurker but I did read several blogs and posted a few times as PS. But people use PS so much as PostScript that I stopped using that name.Too confusing. I search the web all the time for Blacklist spoilers and blogs. Love it!

Something occurs to me. Perhaps Tom was not assigned to Liz to help her get her memories back, or to protect her. Could it possibly be that his assignment was to stop her from remembering the truth? Maybe he is also there to make sure Red doesn't get to the valuable information first, whatever that information or object may be. Wouldn't Red be worried that Liz is in a great deal of danger? What would Tom do if Liz started to remember, or if he discovered what Liz is concealing, by listening to Liz's conversations with Red (by bugs in her purse, phone, etc.)? That would seriously creep me out if Tom was listening and watching Liz every moment, or if he knew about the surveillance house. Husband or not... this guy has got to go.

5:23 pm March 15, 2014

PS wrote:

"THE BLACKLIST"
"MILTON BOBBIT"

03/31/2014 (10:01PM - 11:00PM) (Monday) : "THE UNDERTAKER" SELLS THE PERFECT MURDER – DAMIAN YOUNG ("CALIFORNICATION") GUEST STARS - Red (James Spader) and the team are on the hunt for "The Undertaker" (guest star Damian Young) – a life insurance claim adjuster who convinces ordinary people to become contract killers. Meanwhile, Liz (Megan Boone) works with Red to uncover Tom's (Ryan Eggold) secrets

9:01 pm March 15, 2014

Charmed wrote:

Well hello PS, I thought you sounded familiar, believe it or not. So are you going to be PS or Jane? Glad you showed back up.

Redravenous, I don't remember that episode of Carol Burnett, but I bet it was funny.

TWO more sleeps!

11:25 pm March 15, 2014

Jane wrote:

Charmed, I am PS no more!!! Someone is using my previous name.

12:21 am March 16, 2014

Charmed wrote:

Jane, Do you mean the 5:23pm Milton Bobbit was not yours? So Soon?

Sorry, off topic- one of my favorite writers has written his first book in five years, Greg Iles' Natchez Burning.
He is a southern author from Mississippi, and sometimes writes books about his hometown. He was in a horrific auto accident about three years ago. He used to be in the rock band, "Frankly Scarlett" and has more recently been a member of the band "The Rock Bottom Remainders." Advertised as "Over 350M books sold. Forty #1 New York Times bestsellers. One lousy band." You won't believe who was in the band with him. Try "24 Hours" for an edge of your seat read.

WSJ will hopefully review Greg Iles' "Natchez Burning".

12:35 am March 16, 2014

Jane wrote:

Charmed, no the 5:23pm Milton Bobbit post was NOT MINE. Someone is playing name games!

1:39 am March 16, 2014

BC wrote:

Thanks for the TVw/oPity name as those recaps are ridiculous and funny.

Anna I like your theory about something being hidden in the scar as that's the first real theory that covers why she said the fire was at age 4 yet the scar was at 14 and the explanation of Sam 'giving' her the scar to 'protect her and make her brave.' In fact I'd say I LOVE it but that would be giving too much credit to my rival supersleuth

I do also agree (and believe I mentioned it before you :p) that Red is trying to jog her memory while Tom is trying to prevent that and was likely placed with her at least in part so he could be the first 'foot soldier' on the ground when/if Liz's memories resurface.

2:14 am March 16, 2014

BC wrote:

This was my favorite part of the TVw/oPity recap (Liz talking to Red about how Cooper's in danger because he beat the confession out of Rifkin):

Liz: "Oh, uh, he beat a confession out of him."
Red: "Bummer! Are you sure?"
Liz: "Yeah he told me so."
Red: "For no reason except that it's a plotpoint and I do this out of nowhere in every episode, you need to think about Hastings, that first guy we haven't gone back to yet."
Liz: "How come?"
Red: "Because he's going to say or do something while you're investigating that is going to spark some intuitive process in your head that leads you directly to The Judge."
Liz: "Okay then why can't you just tell me that part?"
Red: "That is not how this show works. I am just the first domino. I say something completely random and that leads you to solving the case in a howlingly coincidental fashion. That's what we do."
Liz: "But I mean she is going to kill Cooper! Eye for an eye!"
Red: "Just shut up and do the random thing I'm telling you to do already, Lizzy!"

He hangs up on her, trusting her to be a magic wizard like every week based on no information of any kind, but meanwhile he is still the first domino: He tells Dembe to turn the plane around, because in fact he knows secondary things about the Rifkin case that are actually going to be what solves this crisis. We don't know that yet, but kind of don't we?

11:04 am March 16, 2014

Anna wrote:

BC, Of course! I remember now that you mentioned that possibility, that Red is trying to jog her memory, and Tom is trying to prevent that from happening... or deal with it if it occurs. (Scary thought for Liz.) In fact you have probably been the one that has come up with almost every conceivable scenario of what Red's agenda may be and how Tom, Liz, Fitch and the Adversary may fit in. Sorry

It's just that that scene from the preview with all the pictures that Tom has been saving in that garage was such a shock, I didn't expect that. Also it was surprising that Tom used actual paper pictures of everyone he is spying on and little strings to connect them. Why didn't he just use a laptop or iPad, etc.? I know...it was much more dramatic this way... makes him look like one of those serial killers from Criminal Minds. The unsub is keeping a scrapbook!

Speaking of which... why I am not able to find that preview for the next show that aired right after the last episode? It's disappeared off NBC's site, it was called “Tom's secret is out.” I wonder if they thought that it was too much to see Tom hitting Jolene, or perhaps it gave away too many clues about Cowboy and Tom?

11:12 am March 16, 2014

Anna wrote:

Sorry. I found the preview I was looking for, "Tom's Secret is Out," Need more caffeine!

2:04 pm March 16, 2014

SH wrote:

Anna-
There is also a laptop in the garage that Tom is in. It's on the table behind the chair with Tom's coat. You can see it when the Cowboy tries to escape from being tied to the other chair. Maybe the laptop was for surveillance? There will be so much to see in that garage/room tomorrow night. Can't wait!

5:56 pm March 16, 2014

A.M. wrote:

If Red's family died the day he disappeared, or if his house was covered in blood and they lived, why wasn't that in Red's FBI file that Ressler was going over in the pilot when Ressler said he abandoned his car on that day and they showed it in the snow? One would think it would be relevant that when the Navy tried to track him down they got to his house and there had been a massacre and no one lived and yet there is not one mention in the file of what became of his wife and children.

It's possible that whoever committed the massacre, also cleaned it up after Red left but before the authorities got there, or Red himself cleaned it up before leaving. And that the military assumed his wife and children left with him or after he didn't show up. They probably didn't go looking for him right away if he had a week of leave, they only looked when he was later returning, so some time would have gone by.

But still... not one mention of follow up with his wife after he deserted and later became a criminal. You would think any interrogation of her would be in his file and if she disappeared that would be in there too. Probably let out as a plot point for convenience.

7:08 pm March 16, 2014

Fergy wrote:

A.M. If the events that happened in Red's house that night had anything to do with Fitch I am sure it was covered up and never reported to anyone. Remember Red told Liz "Not every child that has gone missing is on the back of a milk carton" in the Cyprus Agency episode. He said that with such emotion I thought he might be talking about his little girl.

OMG! I forgot about the dog! He was only in a couple of episodes and then we didn't see him anymore. Now maybe he was outside for the scenes in their house but now there is another question unanswered! LOL! Where is the dog?

11:47 pm March 16, 2014

Charmed wrote:

Fergy, I commented about the dog at 12:56 on March 15. In case you missed it, it was a Q&A with Jon Bokenkamp. Please read for answers.

But we all know THEY FORGOT THE POOR DOG!

A.M. and Fergy, I may be wrong and I am unable to check. But I thought it was said that Red's car was found on the side of the road, filled with gifts, but that his wife said he never arrived home. Maybe tomorrow.

12:05 am March 17, 2014

Charmed wrote:

I meant to add, they forgot poor Joseph!
Just in case anyone forgot his name.

12:24 am March 17, 2014

Jane wrote:

Charmed, you are correct about the car. There is even a photo of the snow covered car, filled with gifts, and parked on the side of a road.

12:36 am March 17, 2014

A.M. wrote:

Charmed wrote: "But I thought it was said that Red’s car was found on the side of the road, filled with gifts, but that his wife said he never arrived home. Maybe tomorrow."

I just rewatched it. This is what Ressler said:

"Raymond 'Red' Reddington attended the Naval Academy top of his class. Graduated by the time he was 24. He was being groomed for Admiral. Then in 1990, Reddington is coming home to see his wife and his daughter for Christmas. He never arrived. This highly respected officer up and disappears from the face of the Earth. Until 4 years later. " While he is talking they show the car on the side of the road abandoned in the snow.

And that's it. Nothing else is ever said about the wife or his family in that scene.

Is there another scene where his car being abandoned is discussed? I don't remember, it's been so long since the pilot!

1:03 am March 17, 2014

A.M. wrote:

ha ha ha, you know what I love? An excuse to rewatch the pilot

While Liz is talking to Red, right after he asks to see the scar they share this dialogue:

Red: Is a child really what you want?
Lizzy: How on earth...
Red: A baby won't fix what happened in the past.
Lizzy: You lost the right to speak about parenthood when you abandoned your wife and daughter on Christmas eve.

I think that's the only other mention. So the file does say he abandoned them, and btw, notice she only said daughter (singular). He was only 24 when he disappeared so it's doubtful he had any kids older than 3 or 4 anyway, and now we know he didn't have any child younger than that.

So back to my question: the file said he abandoned them, you would think someone questioned them to reach that conclusion, or the file would say he and his family went missing. So does that imply they were alive or did whoever killed them put in substitutes to talk to investigators when they came looking for Red? (which probably was after his leave time was up and he hadn't reported back, not that night, which means enough time could have passed for some sort of cover up to be put in place). And who cleaned up the house - Red or the people who did it? Did Red leave immediately sensing danger or did he stick around? If he stuck around, wouldn't he have called the police? I'm guessing he left immediately and whoever did the attack came back in, cleaned it up and put a fake wife in there to talk to the military when they came looking for Red. Maybe they didn't know Red came back, maybe he was in and out before they realized it. Or maybe they kidnapped him that night at the house and he only escaped years later.

1:11 am March 17, 2014

A.M. wrote:

Oops. My mistake. He graduated the Academy at 25. His birthdate according to the file they show is Feb 7, 1960 and he went missing Dec 1990, so he was almost 31. Plenty of time for another child, but Lizzy does say your wife and daughter, not children, not daughters. So he still think there was only that one child.

Also, if his wife was covered in blood, she's not the woman in the stewmaker's photo album because the woman in that photo has no visible bruising on her face, and no blood on her shirt. So this is not his wife. She also looks too young to be married to a 30 year old, but maybe it's Lizzy's real mom, maybe her biological mother was a teenager when she had her and that's why she gave her up for adoption. ?

And isn't it interesting that one of the first things Red does when he meets Lizzy is to ask to see the scar. And he looked satisfied after seeing it, maybe because it doesn't look like anyone cut into it. I'm thinking that having something inserted into it like the Courier did in his body is looking very possible.

7:18 am March 17, 2014

Anna wrote:

A.M. and Charmed, I think I remember another scene in an episode where Cooper says something about his wife and daughter... but doesn't this tell us that this "excuse" was just a government-issued cover up for what really happened.? I doubt that the FBI would have the truth in their file on Red if another government agency was responsible (Fitch or his superiors) for what happened. Also, Red talks to Cooper about something that happened in "Kuwait," we assume after 1990 (he blackmails Cooper so that Liz can stay on the case while Tom is being investigated). This must mean Red WAS on an assignment/mission for the military after he disappeared.

The same old story about Red abandoning his family on Christmas eve was fabricated, wasn't it? The only true element was the abandoned car, and the story Red tells Madeline.

12:01 pm March 17, 2014

Charmed wrote:

A.M., I love giving people an excuse to watch the pilot. Thanks for clearing up my clouded thinking.

Anna, I also believe Red was on assignment for the military after he disappeared. For some reason, I also think he may have been captured at some point (dark hole in the ground, etc) before he began selling secrets.

1:01 pm March 17, 2014

Nancy wrote:

Anna and SH, thank you for your thoughts on my Nebraska post. I like your theory about Liz's scar, Anna. There is most definitely more to it than its identifying Liz. I'm puzzled about Red's memories of that Christmas Eve in the Madeline Pratt episode, too. The blood everywhere...surely there woiuld have been a mention of this in the FBI file of Red's disappearance if there were not a cover-up. Red says something about his daughter sitting at the piano. Does it seem strange to anyone else that a 4 year old would be playing the piano well enough for him to mention it? AND, as someone pointed out, the "wife" and "daughter" were interviewed after he "abandoned" them. Could it be possible that Liz is the child that replaced Red's own daughter, if some impostors were put in place? I don't want to think of Jolene being his true child. I like the thought that Liz is so important to him that he wants to protect her at all costs. I hate to think of Jolene sharing that special bond.

1:21 pm March 17, 2014

Chompstick wrote:

The dog went the way of the reason why no one questioned Tom about how he found the box beneath the floor. Both are things that were completely ignored and never addressed.

By the way, Television Without Pity is commonly called TWOP. I'm not trying to correct anyone here, just offering up an easier way to type it out every time.

1:39 pm March 17, 2014

Chompstick wrote:

Nancy, I don't think mentioning the piano is strange. Some of my fondest memories of my son are from when he did things horribly, but it was amusing and touching, and he was so proud of himself.

Anna, the idea of something being implanted beneath Liz's scar is really intriguing. However, I do wonder if the writers would use the exact same scenario as with the Courier. They are not usually that direct with their clues.

So, how many times has everyone watched the pilot?

1:53 pm March 17, 2014

Redhead wrote:

Can't wait for tonight!

3:30 pm March 17, 2014

Anna wrote:

SH, Thank you for the info about the laptop in Tom's garage. I re watched that preview again (for about the 10th time) and I saw the lap top. I also wonder if that pile of clothes or something or other on the floor by the car is Jolene? I guess we'll find out tonight. I still think it is strange for Tom to keep so many items pictures, etc. If someone happened to see all that, then his mission would be compromised.

A.M. , and Nancy, Question: was it actually mentioned in an episode that Red's wife and child were interviewed? I like your idea, Nancy, that the wife and daughter might have been imposters, if they were interviewed. That would have been cruel, to have people impersonating Red's family, telling everyone that he abandoned them, when in reality his real family was missing, with fate unknown. It may have been one way for Fitch's people to cover the truth up, or to keep Red in line. But then again, 24 years seems like a long time to hold someone hostage.

Red's search for the truth about what happened to his family, may not include his wife. His search may only be for his child(ren) who may have been too young to remember what happened. The fact that the writers have intentionally failed to mention Red's wife should be a big red flag. You would think if she was deceased, or missing... he might have at least one nice thing to say about her. Nope. (Maybe they are saving her story for next season. I can just see it now... Lizzie will ask every female guest star... “Are you my mother?”)

Red's wife may end up being quite evil. Perhaps the reason Red cannot keep engagements or get involved with people, as he tried to explain to Madeline, was not because of his fear of losing a loved one, but maybe it was a fear of being betrayed by a loved one.

3:49 pm March 17, 2014

Anonymous wrote:

I'll probably continue this thought on this week's episode thread but it relates to my posts early this morning so I'll post it here first.

I think the Adversary is not Fitch and I do not think Fitch or Diane had anything to do with Red's family's massacre. I think they know about it, know who did it, but weren't responsible. Here's why. 1) Red would not make any kind of deal with Fitch or 'his people' if they killed his family, he'd just kill them back. 2) Diane would not plead for her life by offering up a confession that she had a part in killing his family, because he'd kill her right afterwards for admitting it. So she was offering up someone else who did it, not her or her group, hoping that info would save her life.

I think Red came upon Fitch's group around the time of the killing or while he was beginning his criminal career, maybe it was his work with them that got his family killed. But they didn't do it. I can't imagine that Red wouldn't have exacted revenge in 20 years if he knew Fitch did it - Fitch is a very public person, Red would have no trouble finding him.

3:49 pm March 17, 2014

A.M. wrote:

Above comment was me, forgot to sign in!

3:58 pm March 17, 2014

A.M. wrote:

Anna,

That is Jolene's body lying next to the car, you can't tell if she's knocked out or dead.

It was never mentioned that his family was interviewed, but that would be standard procedure. He doesn't show up to the base after his leave is up, they go to his house to find out where he is. If they got to an empty house, it would be in his file that they all disappeared. But they say he abandoned them, which implies there was someone there who said he never showed up. Now we know (from Madeline Pratt episode) that they were covered in blood when he got home. It's possible they lived and he left and told them to say he never came home if questioned later - but that doesn't sound like a very safe plan and I doubt that's what Red Reddington would do for his family in danger. Maybe the child was Lizzy and he left her with Sam and we don't know what happened to the wife. Either she lived and told the navy that Red never came home and didn't report the crime or a fake family was put in the house to set up the story that Red abandoned them when they came looking for him. It is weird that the wife is never mentioned, and that the FBI doesn't go to question here again once Red shows up at their doorstep. Right now I don't think she's evil, but I guess anything is possible with the writers and their plot twists!

7:43 pm March 17, 2014

Redravenous wrote:

"I ran out of gas" said Red. That's significant. That he said it as his starting line of the story, and, that on that particular night he was so distracted he did something to change the course of what was supposed to happen. He forgot to put gas in the car and he was hours late.
"There was only blood" Red said. As if there was no one left in the house. He doesn't know exactly what happened, that is why he said to Diane he wants more than anything to learn the truth. He's piecing information together and finding the picture in the Stewmaker's photo album confirmed something, as has recently learning that Jolene is not dead and has been doing surveillance of him.

7:50 pm March 17, 2014

Chompstick wrote:

Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait! Are we going to continue comments about tonight's show on this thread until after Jason posts his review?

8:29 pm March 17, 2014

Anna wrote:

Red knew just where to look for that picture in the Stew maker's album, 12/90. The same year and month he disappeared, we assume the same month and year of the attack on his family. Red must have removed the picture because he did not want the FBI to know that the girl in the photo was deceased and had been disposed of by the stew maker. Perhaps the FBI still lists her as missing. People jumped to the conclusion that she was his wife or daughter, but we really don't have any proof of that. Red does not give much away when he looks at that picture; he does not seem sad, or show grief. It is almost with indifference that he takes the photo and then later looks at it. But the lack of emotion may have been very intentional to throw us off the path, just as his sneer was confusing when he looked at Lucy.

9:01 pm March 17, 2014

SH wrote:

Chompstick-
Who is Jason? Sorry I don't know who he is. I just started this blog not that long ago. Is there some site you can give out where Jason gives his review?

Spader is going to be on the Tonight Show tonight.

9:19 pm March 17, 2014

Chompstick wrote:

SH, Jason writes this recap for The Wall St. Journal for each episode of The Blacklist. All of our posts each week are actually comments on his recap. Sometime by tomorrow morning, Jason will recap tonight's show and we will put all new posts under the comments again. If you have trouble finding it, just google "WSJ Mako Tanida recap".

9:22 pm March 17, 2014

Charmed wrote:

SH, Jason runs this blog on WSJ. You Should see the review before you click on the comments. He does a great job on the recap after each episode, and that is where we will be commenting on Mako Tanida.

9:36 pm March 17, 2014

Charmed wrote:

I liked the heading I read "The price of running out of gas."

Yes, Redravenous, I also believe it is significant.

Anna, for Red to be so expressive, he certainly didn't give anything away when he looked at the Stewmaker's picture of the woman.

9:59 pm March 17, 2014

Redravenous wrote:

What time is the Tonight show on? After The Blacklist?

10:25 pm March 17, 2014

Redravenous wrote:

That's o.k., 11:35. Just got excited that I might miss it.

10:48 pm March 17, 2014

SH wrote:

Charmed-where is the review going to be? I don't see a sub-topic for it.

You can always watch The Tonight Show on IO On Demand.

10:50 pm March 17, 2014

SH wrote:

I figured it out-where the recap will be. Sorry for the dumb question. I am new to this.

10:54 pm March 17, 2014

Redravenous wrote:

Search for The Blacklist WSJ Episode 16 "Mako Tanida"

11:07 pm March 17, 2014

Redravenous wrote:

OMG!

So much to discuss. Is the young girl Red fantasizes dancing Swan Lake the girl in the Stewmaker's picture?

Is Lucy / Jolene dead? If so they took out both her and Audrey just like that.

So, Ressler knew that it was Red who called Audrey. Wow!

11:09 pm March 17, 2014

Jane wrote:

The girl is The Stewmaker's album was Red's daughter. The girl pictured was 12 years old. The program which Red held in his had while watching he daughter dancing ballet was dated 1987- 3 years before The Tragedy. That would make her 9 when she was dancing which fits completely. Wow

11:22 pm March 17, 2014

A.M. wrote:

Absolutely that was the girl in the Stewmaker's album, same face, hair pulled back.

rest of my comments will be on the new discussion, the review is already up.

11:24 pm March 17, 2014

Redravenous wrote:

The ballet scene was another one of those really well done Blacklist twists, both in the visual and story telling aspects. I can't wait to see this episode again!

10:17 am March 18, 2014

Anonymous wrote:

sean kanan from the bold and the beautiful will guest star on csi ny sean kanan will be playing as mike busolli in csi ny

7:59 pm March 18, 2014

deedee wrote:

I have watched every episode diligently......but can someone explain to me who exactly was Jolene ...why was Tom not happy to see her if they were obviously ..working for the same "person-organization"???? why woiuld he kill her.....??? didnt get that ....

10:38 am September 20, 2014

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